A drunken man was fatally shot by responding police officers in Barangay Santa Cruz, Palo, Leyte on the afternoon of February 3 after he allegedly threatened law enforcers and passersby with a bladed weapon, as authorities confirmed.
Police said a concerned citizen alerted local authorities that the suspect, reportedly intoxicated, was challenging people to fight and brandishing a bolo along a public street.
Responding officers from the Leyte Police Provincial Office (LPPO) arrived at the scene and attempted to defuse the situation.
Despite repeated warnings, the suspect continued to charge toward the policemen, prompting them to fire at him. The suspect sustained multiple gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead on arrival at a nearby hospital, police said.
An investigation into the incident has been launched by LPPO to determine whether proper protocols were followed.
Early reports indicate that warning shots were fired before live rounds were used, but that the suspect persisted in his aggressive behavior.
Authorities have withheld the identity of the suspect pending notification of family members.
Meanwhile, no officers were reported injured in the encounter.
This is not the first time police have had to use lethal force in the Eastern Visayas region in response to violent or uncooperative suspects.
In Ormoc City last September, a policeman responded to a drunken man running amok with a “sundang”, after the suspect struck the officer during an attempt to calm him, the officer was forced to shoot him dead in alleged self-defence.
Police officials had also clarified that officers receive regular training on de-escalation and the use of force, and that every deadly encounter is subject to internal review as well as oversight under existing Philippine National Police (PNP) guidelines.
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