5 SWAT members admit firing ‘warning shots’ during hostage crisis

Five members of the Manila Police District’s Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team on Saturday admitted firing “warning shots" at the height of Monday’s hostage crisis, which left eight Hong Kong tourists dead and the hostage-taker himself killed by sniper fire. Philippine National Police (PNP) spokesperson Agrimero Cruz Jr. said the five MPD-SWAT members stated in their affidavits that they fired the gunshots “to distract the attention" of the hostage-taker, dismissed Police Senior Inspector Rolando Mendoza. “Nagpaputok sila pataas to distract the attention (of the hostage-taker)... ‘Yung mga SWAT members na nagpaputok doon sa labas, nandoon sila sa gawing harap ng bus," Cruz said in an interview on Saturday aired over GMA News’ “24 Oras." (They fired in the air to distract the attention of the hostage-taker. Those SWAT members who fired guns outside, they were at the front area of the bus.) He added that 22 other members of the SWAT team who responded during Monday’s incident also executed their affidavits in relation to the bloody hostage-taking.
On August 23, Mendoza hijacked a Hong Thai bus carrying 21 Hong Kong tourists and four Filipinos. After an excruciating 11-hour drama, negotiations between the dismissed police officer and the Philippine authorities rapidly unraveled and led to shooting, which left nine people dead and nine others wounded, including two bystanders. (See: Hostage crisis ends in bloody carnage; 8 hostages dead) The resulting carnage, which has outraged many Chinese nationals, has been blamed by many observers on the poor handling of the crisis by the Philippine authorities, including the MPD-SWAT team that spearheaded the assault. Cruz said that the five SWAT members’ affidavits support the PNP’s earlier claim that it was Mendoza’s gunshots, not friendly fire, that caused the deaths of the Hong Kong tourists. “Initially, ang nakita natin sa statements nila, puro papataas lang ang ginawa nilang pagpapaputok," he said. (Initially, what we saw in their statements, all the shots they fired were aimed upwards.) He however assured that all those responsible for the deaths of the victims — even if they turn out to be from the rescuing forces — will be held accountable. Paraffin test Senior Superintendent Lorlie Arroyo of the PNP Crime Laboratory meanwhile said that Mendoza’s both hands were found positive for gun powder residue based on the results of the paraffin tests. Arroyo likewise said that all 58 fired cartridges earlier recovered from the tourist bus came from Mendoza’s M16 rifle. The hostage-taker’s .45-caliber pistol, however, yielded negative results for gun powder residue, which indicates the possibility that it was not used during the incident. Arroyo added that authorities of the PNP Crime Laboratory are still determining the trajectories of the gunshots fired during the incident based on the bullet holes on the windows of the tourist bus.—Andreo C. Calonzo/JV, GMANews.TV