Sagay City officer fatally shot, young son a suspect

By Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD CITY – In a harrowing incident in Barangay Andres Bonifacio, Sagay City, Negros Occidental, a 44-year-old police staff sergeant was fatally shot last Saturday.

Police Lieutenant Hannah Banquil, deputy chief of Sagay City Police Station, informed that the three individuals last seen with the victim, Police Staff Sergeant Lernie Alacha, are persons of interest in this case.

“Following the incident, the initial investigation revealed that Sergeant Alacha and his live-in partner were witnessed arguing by their seven-year-old son in their bedroom post-lunch,” Banquil said.

The dispute escalated due to the victim’s distress over certain interactions on his partner’s TikTok account. Amidst the conflict, their son is reported to have taken his father’s Glock 17, 9mm caliber service weapon from its storage outside the bedroom and allegedly fired the shot that struck his father’s neck, resulting in his death.

“The couple’s altercations, often stemming from jealousy, were frequently witnessed by their children,” Banquil mentioned, adding to the troubling context surrounding the shooting.

Banquil, however, clarified that responsibility has not yet been confirmed.

“We cannot conclusively state the seven-year-old was at fault,” she said.

Further complicating the investigation, the live-in partner’s two sons – a 12-year-old and the seven-year-old involved – and Alacha himself were subjected to paraffin tests. An autopsy was also conducted on the victim.

Awaiting the paraffin test results is critical for the investigation’s progress, according to Banquil.

Following their assessment by the Women and Children’s Protection Desk (WCPD), all three were permitted to return home.

Sergeant Alacha served the Sagay City Police as a beat patroller.