Police chief involved in bloody shooting sacked

By Mar T. Supnad

SAN FERNANDO CITY, La Union – Chief Supt. Franklin Bucayu, Region 1 police director, ordered Tuesday the relief and the disarming of the police of Laoac town in Pangasinan and his men who were involved in a bloody shootout that resulted to the killing of a father and his son and the wounding three others in Barangay Lebueg June 19.

Here at Camp Florendo, Bucayu ordered Senior Insp. Lodovico M. Ellazar Jr. to be investigated even as he formed a task force to conduct an impartial probe on the incident.

Pangasinan police director Senior Supt. Boyet Rosueto designated Senior Insp. Bonifacio Ganaban as an officer-in charge of Laoac police pending investigation of the case.

Bucayu said he formed Special Investigation Task Group Eleazar to look into bloody broad daylight shooting between the policemen and the victims’ group that resulted to the death of Rodrigo C. Eleazar Sr., a former Laoac town councilor and former barangay captain of Barangay Lebueg and his son Gener M. Eleazar in Lebueg.

The task force will be headed by the Pangasinan chief of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, said Bucayu, adding the policemen involved should be immediately disarmed of their firearms.
At around 4pm June 19, Laoac police Ellazar Jr. responded to a call that a group of armed men identified as Rodrigo C. Eleazar Sr; 62, and his son Gener, both residents of Lebueg were firing their guns indiscriminately.

The policemen accused the group of firing a gun in their village.
Later gunfire followed after a heated argument.

Based on the version of Ellazar, they were fired upon by the younger Eleazar, hitting one of his police identified as PO3 Erwin Lopez, Barangay Captain Edgar Mensigos Ellazar and Barangay Kagawad Rogelio Ellazar Lopez.

This, he said triggered the gun fight resulting to the killing of the father and his son.

Probers recovered at the scene one Glock pistol Cal .45 with two magazines and live ammunition with spent shells for Glock .45 pistol, and cartridges for M16 and M14 rifles.

All were turned over to the Regional Crime Laboratory Office for ballistic examination.