April 24, 2021 A 12-YEAR-OLD scavenger was gunned down by a security guard of a construction site at the South Road Properties in Barangay Mambaling, Cebu City on Saturday afternoon, April 24, 2021.
Justine Jay Ferrer, 12, of Sitio Ypil, Barangay San Nicolas, sustained a gunshot wound on his neck.
The suspect, Marelle Belano, 29, immediately surrendered himself to the police following the incident.
Staff Sgt. Renato Baldo of the Mambaling Police Station told Superbalita Cebu that Belano was patroling the compound belonging to the construction firm he was working for when he noticed a group of child scavengers stealing scrap metal in the site.
Belano told investigators that he decided to fire a warning shot using his 9mm service firearm at the group as a way to scare them.