A GOVERNMENT agency on Monday, Sept. 4, said a murder complaint would be filed against policemen who shot dead a teenager accused of robbery, the second such case in just over a week against police from the same part of the capital, Manila.

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File photos of Carl Angelo Arnaiz from his Facebook account and Facebook account of his mother Eva Magat Arnaiz — via InterAksyon

The Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) said an autopsy by its forensic experts indicated that Carl Angelo Arnaiz, 19, was tortured before he was shot in Caloocan City, and the manner of his killing was similar to that of a high-school student shot dead in Caloocan on Aug. 16 by anti-drugs officers.

The death of 17-year-old Kian Loyd delos Santos stirred rare public outrage about President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s ferocious war on drugs, in which thousands of people have been killed.

Mr. Delos Santos was dragged by plainclothes policemen to a dark, trash-filled alley before being shot in the head and left next to a pigsty, witnesses said. Police said he was armed and they killed him in self-defense.

The body of Mr. Arnaiz was found on Aug. 28 by his parents at a morgue.

He was last seen alive on Aug. 17, according to media. Citing a police report, they said Mr. Arnaiz was accused of robbing a taxi driver at gunpoint and died in an ensuing firefight with police. The killing has not been linked to the anti-drugs campaign.

PAO chief Persida V. Rueda-Acosta said Mr. Arnaiz’s eyes were bruised and his wounded wrists showed handcuff marks, and he had four gunshot wounds in the chest and one in the right arm.

“We will go to the Department of Justice to file murder charges. He was killed mercilessly,” Ms. Acosta said. “He was handcuffed, so how could he fight back?”

Oscar D. Albayalde, Metro Manila police chief, promised to investigate the killing of Mr. Arnaiz.

Philippine National Police chief Ronald M. dela Rosa, however, dismissed the similarity of Mr. Arnaiz’s case to that of Mr. delos Santos.

“I would like to caution everyone to please not to be so quick, condemning our policemen. That is a different case,” he told reporters, referring to the Arnaiz killing.

Interviewed by Malacanang reporters on Monday, Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto C. Abella said, “ (W)e will be coming up with a statement soon….It’s something that we still have to verify.” — Reuters

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