Renato Bertes and his son Jaypee were “severely beaten” and “shot to death” by policemen last month. This would’ve been another run-of-the-mill drug-related incident, except this time, they were killed under police custody.
The Bertes men are now part of the nearly 1,000 deaths under President Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody war on drugs that has gained international infamy.
Authorities said they saw the two men gambling in Pasay City on Jul 6 and found shabu in their possession, so they were taken into police custody.
But that’s just one side of the story.
According to the report from the Commission on Human Rights (CHR), members and neighbors of the Bertes family said the police raided their home while they were in bed at 11:30pm. The police allegedly looked for Jaypee and his drug stash.
In the police station, the father and son reportedly attempted to take a policeman’s gun. So the authorities had no choice but to shoot the Bertes men.
However, forensic investigation revealed that both men had been incapacitated as evidenced by Jaypee’s broken arm. So how could they have tried to take away the policeman’s weapon?
The forensic report also stated that the men were hit with a blunt object repeatedly. With their injuries, the report concluded that “the victims can no longer be threats to the life and security” of other people.
Both father and son were killed inside the police station, leaving a bloody trail of questions regarding the authorities’ way of handling arrested individuals.
Since the incident, two police officers have been suspended and will be charged with murder. However, the victims’ family members said the suspended officers still roam the neighborhood, bearing arms.
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