By CESAR JOLITO III
Authorities have confirmed that Police Staff Sergeant Bonifacio Saycon, tagged as the primary suspect in a shooting incident in Negros Oriental’s Sibulan town, tested positive for gunpowder residue.
Saycon yielded a positive result in a paraffin test conducted following the January 9 shooting at a restobar in Barangay Tubtubon that killed one civilian and three police officers.
Police Colonel Lito Patay, acting director of the Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office (NORPPO), said two other police officers who were with Saycon and the victims at the restobar tested negative for gunpowder residue.
These officers are currently under restrictive custody of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group as the investigation continues.
Patay said ballistic examinations further linked Saycon to the shooting.
Bullets recovered at the restobar matched a .45 caliber firearm found inside the vehicle used by Saycon.
Additional tests showed that ammunition recovered from the vehicle also matched the 9mm pistol voluntarily surrendered by Saycon to the Tanjay police.
Patay added that Saycon was no longer subjected to a drug test, noting that it was not required for the filing of appropriate charges.
Fatal head gunshot wounds
Police authorities also confirmed that all four individuals killed in the shooting incident sustained fatal gunshot wounds to the head, based on official post-mortem examination results.
The lone civilian fatality — Shiela Mae Dinawanao, a solo parent who worked as a dancer at SAB Restobar — reportedly suffered two gunshot wounds to the head, according to medical findings.
The two police officers, Sibulan police chief Captain Edrohil Cimafranca and Patrolman Rey Albert Temblor, each sustained two gunshot wounds to the head.
Meanwhile, Police Senior Master Sergeant Tristan Chua suffered one fatal gunshot wound.
NORPPO spokesperson Police Captain Stephen Polinar said the findings underscore the violent nature of the incident.
Polinar added that investigators are still working to establish the motive, noting that Saycon has not issued an extrajudicial confession related to the case.
Police said the investigation remains ongoing as authorities continue to gather evidence and interview potential witnesses./CJ, WDJ