BAGUIO CITY January 26 – Family members, relatives, friends and co-employees of the 57-year old maintenance crew of the City Engineering Office who died after being caught in a crossfire between police operatives and a high value target along Military Cut-off Road, Tuesday, are now clamouring for justice for their deceased kin.
Dolores Delinela, wife of Miguel Delinela, who was hit by a stray bullet during a shootout between police operating troops and their high value target, informed mediamen that their family is inclined to file the appropriate charges against those responsible for the untimely demise of her love one who was described by his fellow government workers as a responsible and trsuted maintenance drew of the said office.
Delinela, together with his co-employees, was seated at the back portion of the government vehicle after coming from Mines view where they had an inspection of the streetlighting fixtures in the area and were reportedly en route to their office.
Upon reaching the Military Cut-off rotunda, their vehicle stopped after noticing that a firefight was going on between the police operating troops and their supposed high value target.
However, the victim’s companions were not able to notice that he was already hit by a stray bullet on his forehead and their vehicle proceeded to their office in City Camp.
One of his co-employees opened the rear door of their vehicle to allow the victim to go out but he was surprised to see him already bloodied.
Delinela was rushed by his co-workers to the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center (BGHMC) for medical treatment but he later expired while being afforded close medical supervision because of a lone gunshot wound that hit his forehead and exited on the back of his head.
The operating troops were able to arrest their high value target, Michael Canara, 38 a resident of Honeymoon and his 20-year old girlfriend, during a brief chase along the Loakan road and confiscated from their possession were over a dozen sachets of shabu and several sachets of dried marijuana leaves.
The arrested high value target and his girlfriend, who is a resident of DPS Compound, and the confiscated pieces of evidence were brought to the Baguio city Police office headquarters for documentation and the subsequent filing of the appropriate charges against them before the city prosecutor’s office.
By Dexter A. See