Sta. Fe cop fires gun in front of children

A police officer was accused of indiscriminate firing in Barangay Talisay, Santa Fe, Bantayan Island last Saturday afternoon.

Insp. Armando Labora, the town police chief, identified the officer as PO1 Jeje Villegas.

The complainant, who requested anonymity, said Villegas was drunk when he fired his service firearm, a .9mm pistol, in front of children.

Labora, in a phone interview, said Villegas is under custody pending the result of the investigation. Villegas was also disarmed.

Villegas, who was off-duty at the time of incident, denied the allegations to Labora.

He said he was sleeping in a hammock that time. When he stood up, the pistol fell to the ground and went off. No one was hit, he said.

The complainant, though, said the children saw the officer pull the trigger. She had the incident recorded in the police blot- ter.

Labora said off-duty personnel are not allowed to carry their firearms.

Villegas will face administrative and criminal cases before Cebu Provincial Police Office and Office of the Cebu Provincial Prosecutor.

The suspect denied the allegation in an investigation. He said he was sleeping in a hammock prior to the alleged incident. When he stood up, the pistol fell to the ground and went off, he told investigators. No one was hit.