JOHN Paul Lopez, the cohort of Ronald Bae who went on a shooting rampage in Kawit, Cavite last week, is now facing a number of criminal charges before the prosecutors’ office in Imus City, Cavite.

Reynaldo Magdaluyo, head of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in the province, said that Lopez, 27, was charged at the office of Imus Prosecutor Emmanuel Velasco with 11 counts of frustrated murder and two counts of attempted direct assault.

Lopez surfaced at the CIDG office on Saturday. He claimed that he was threatened into reloading the gun that Bae used to shoot over a dozen people in Barangay Tabon 1, Kawit. Lopez said that Bae threatened to kill him if he did not follow his orders.

Col. Romeo Desiderio confirmed that Bae had expired licenses for three firearms—an Ak-47, M16 and the 45-pistol he used in his shooting spree last week.

Lopez denied using Bae’s car when he escaped and went into a brief hiding. The car was recovered in Silang, Cavite on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Major Egbert Tibayan was named Kawit police chief, replacing major Jowell Saliba who was relieved by Chief Supt. James Melad, head of the Calabarzon police.

On Sunday, Sen. Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. demanded the removal of Melad as regional police head over the alleged slow response of the police to the shooting rampage.

NBI starts probe
The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on Monday started its investigation of the case of Stephanie Nicole Ella, 7, who was killed by a stray bullet during the New Year revelry.

A team from the bureau visited the area where Stephanie fell. Its initial findings showed that the shooter could have been 50 meters away from where the girl was standing when he opened fire.

The police already arrested four men who confessed that they fired their guns for fun during the New Year’s celebration but ballistic testing results showed that the bullet that killed Stephanie did not come from their guns. The men, even if they are not responsible for Ella’s death, still face charges for firing their guns.

Authorities are also testing 45 bullet samples and are cross-matching 15 slugs collected at the scene.

Senior Supt. Rimas Calixto, chief of the Caloocan City police, said that the investigation is focused on the 32 registered gun owners living within a 50-meter radius from where the Ellas live.
Restrictive

House leaders called for the issuance of restrictive gun permits to civilians.

Representatives Mel Senen Sarmiento of Western Samar province, Juan Edgardo Angara of Aurora province, Romero Quimbo of Marikina City and Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito of San Juan City, agreed that civilians should not be allowed to purchase high-powered firearms.

Sarmiento, vice chairman of the House committee on public order and safety, noted that civilians do not have the absolute right to own guns because they are not part of the country’s security forces.

Quimbo, the House deputy majority leader, backed Sarmiento’s stance.

“We should not allow anyone to purchase guns. We must prohibit ownership of long, high-powered rifles as these don’t have any domestic use,” he said.

He added that permits for gun enthusiasts such as President Benigno Aquino 3rd should likewise be limited to transport their firearms from their residence to the shooting range.