NBI: No conclusion yet whether hostage victims shot at close range

Government agents have found no initial indication that the fatalities in the August 23 hostage tragedy were shot at close range, but said they still need a more detailed and comprehensive review of the autopsy reports to conclude that hijacker Rolando Mendoza indeed shot his victims point-blank. "There was no report showing near or contact fire," said Floresto Arizala, medico-legal division head of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on Wednesday, the fifth day of the Incident Investigation and Review Committee's (IIRC) proceedings. The inter-agency panel is formed by the government to look into the hostage crisis that resulted in the deaths of eight Hong Kong tourists. Given that “near fire" is taken to mean a distance of closer than three feet between the shooter and the target, the NBI noted that signs of close-contact shooting, such as smudging, burning, or tattooing, were absent from the autopsy report prepared by the Philippine National Police (PNP). "Take note that we only relied on the (PNP) autopsy report; we never had a hand in the actual autopsy," Arizala said. He suggested the retrieval of the clothes worn by the victims during the hostage crisis, for use in further investigations. However, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, IIRC chair, asked Arizala to clarify whether the initial results can already conclude that the victims were not shot at close range. "So there would be no misrepresentation..by the media, is there something conclusive there? There was no shooting at close range or close distance as testified yesterday [Tuesday]?" asked De Lima, referring to bus driver Alberto Lubang's testimony that Mendoza was near his victims when he shot them. Arizala replied: "It was an inference." "You mean you need further inquiry into that? The results of that? That's not yet a conclusion?" De Lima asked. Arizala responded, "Yes, ma'am." In an interview with reporters later, De Lima said it is important to be careful in determining whether Mendoza fired at his victims point-blank. “No report [of near fire] does not mean no finding," De Lima said, bringing up the testimony of Lubang, who claimed that the hostage-taker was standing in the bus aisle, close to the hostages, when he first opened fire. "Titingnan natin ang talagang nag-cause ng deaths and injuries of the victims. Are all of these caused by the hostage-taker or mayroon bang victims of cross fire? Iyon ang inaalam natin. We are trying to be careful in attending (to) the findings," she added. The IIRC may question those who conducted the autopsy and consult with other experts if they are not “satisfied" with the explanation of PNP experts, De Lima said. The medico-legal report was among the findings presented by the NBI on Wednesday. The other presentations covered the following: a recreation of the crime scene, bullet trajectory investigation, and bullet hole identification. In the morning of August 23, Mendoza hijacked the Hong Thai Travel tour bus and demanded his reinstatement in the police force. The standoff lasted for 11 hours and resulted in the deaths of eight tourists. Mendoza was also killed. — RSJ/KBK/JV, GMANews.TV