Two members of the Barangay Peacekeeping Action Team who were responding to an incident of alarm and scandal in Bago City, Negros Occidental, met a tragedy, when one of them was shot and killed, and a minor was also shot dead Friday.

Worse, the suspect, is Antonio Tinero, a BPAT executive officer of Brgy. Poblacion in Bago City, Supt. David Cachumbo, who assumed command of the Bago police also on Friday, said.

The fatalities were identified by the police as BPAT member Crisante Camposano, 40, and Napoleon Rio III, 17.

Cachumbo said Tinero may have accidentally shot Camposano, who had accompanied him, in responding to an incident of alarm and scandal, that involved Rio, in the place.

Investigations by the Bago police showed that Rio allegedly taunted Tinero to shoot him.

Cachumbo said Tinero, who reportedly had a .45 caliber pistol, opened fire at Rio, hitting him twice in the abdomen, and accidentally hit Camposano in the stomach.

A slug and a live ammunition of .45 caliber pistol were recovered by Bago policemen, who responded to the shooting incident.

Cachumbo said they are still determining if the response of Tinero and Camposano to the incident was in line with their duty as BPAT members, or if Tinero had a conflict with Rio.

A day after the incident, Tinero communicated with the Bago police his plans to surrender. However, there has been no update on this as of yesterday, Cachumbo said.

Bago police probers are now taking the testimonies and sworn statements of witnesses, for the filing of charges against Tinero this week, he added.

Membership in the BPAT, a pet project of Chief Supt. Cipriano Querol, former regional police director of Western Visayas, is purely through volunteerism, Cachumbo said.

He however, said BPAT members are not allowed to possess or carry guns, while assisting the police in the maintenance of peace and order, in their areas.

After this incident, Cachumbo said he will conduct a seminar for BPAT members and other force multipliers of the Bago police, to refresh them on their tasks. * GPB

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