Cop kills knife-wielding man in Iloilo town

By Jennifer P. Rendon

A 33-year-old pedicab driver who ran amok was shot dead by a responding policeman on the afternoon of Aug. 1 in Pavia, Iloilo.

The victim, identified only as alias JR, was a resident of Barangay Balabag, Pavia.

He sustained a gunshot wound to the chest.

Police rushed him to Western Visayas Sanitarium and General Hospital in Sta. Barbara town, but he did not survive.

Prior to the incident, JR had an argument with his sister, Jelyn.

He allegedly threatened her with a knife, prompting their mother to call the police.

Neighbors said JR tried to stab his sister, and when officers arrived, he refused to surrender.

Instead, he moved closer to a responding policeman and attempted to stab him.

Major Jose Nemias Pamplona, Pavia police chief, said the officer had no choice but to defend himself.

“If he didn’t shoot JR, our policeman could have been fatally stabbed,” he said.

Pamplona said they were unsure if JR was under the influence of alcohol.

However, JR’s mother told police he was involved in illegal drug use.

As of this writing, the policeman who shot JR is being held at the Pavia police station pending a motu proprioinvestigation.