A Philippine police officer gunned down an unarmed mother and son in a horrific shooting caught on video, prompting outrage over what one rights group called “brazen” killings.
Police Corporal Jonel Nuezca shot and killed Sonya Gregorio and her son Frank at point blank range on Sunday at their homes north of the capital Manila after the off-duty officer was drawn into a noise complaint that escalated into a heated argument.
Videos by VICE
The shooting prompted calls to end police brutality in a country where a brutal crackdown on drugs has left thousands dead and is blamed on empowering police to act with impunity. On Monday morning, the #StopTheKillingsPH and #EndPoliceBrutality hashtags trended on Twitter in the Philippines.
The Philippine National Police confirmed the incident in a statement Monday and said that what Nuezca did was “wrong” but stressed that it was an isolated case.
“We will see to it that justice will be served,” police spokesperson Ildebrandi Usana said.
A video on social media viewed by VICE World News showed Sonya hugging her son Frank to stop him from confronting Nuezca during the argument.
“Son of bitch, do you want me to finish you off now?” Nuezca said before pulling out a pistol and shooting them both. A version of the video has been online for more than 12 hours. It was reuploaded in several places on Facebook and had still not been taken down as of early Monday afternoon.
A company spokesperson said they were “saddened by what took place” and initially said that the video would not be removed. But late Monday it added that it had started the process of removal at the request of the family.
An hour after the shooting, the police officer surrendered at a station in another northern province and handed over his gun. He is facing double murder charges, police said.
Police credibility in the Philippines has eroded under President Rodrigo Duterte, who has personally stepped in to absolve or defend high-ranking cops involved in scandals. He has also issued shoot-to-kill orders in the drug war and during the extensive pandemic lockdown, saying police must shoot suspects if their lives are in danger.
But observers said that without the video, Frank would have been branded a drug addict who resisted arrest, a common narrative used by police to escape accountability, according to rights groups.
Last week, a province in the northern Philippines disbanded its anti-narcotics team after two of its members were implicated in the abduction and beheading of a 25-year-old man.
Vowing to investigate the shooting, the Philippine Commission on Human Rights condemned the “brazen, senseless killing.”
“It is unacceptable when they are the ones being at the forefront of perpetuating such human rights violations,” spokesperson Jacqueline Ann de Guia said. “This incident re-echoes our call to the government urging for the conduct of widespread investigations on every allegation of arbitrary killing.”
Duterte’s spokesperson said the police officer would be brought to justice while maintaining that the incident was not “service-related.”
“No ifs, no buts. Justice will be served,” Harry Roque said. “The president will not condone this.”
