MANILA — A video of a police officer shooting a woman and her adult son at close range on Sunday has spread rapidly across social media in the Philippines, provoking a wave of outrage directed at the government and a police force that many say acts with impunity. Officials said the shooting was the result of a dispute between the officer, Master Sergeant Jonel Nuezca, and his neighbors, Sonya Gregorio, 52, and her son, Frank Anthony Gregorio, 25, in the northern province of Tarlac. In the video, Mr. Nuezca, off duty and in civilian clothes, can be seen confronting the Gregorios about their use of a boga, a homemade noisemaker constructed from PVC piping that is traditionally played at Christmastime. But tensions quickly escalated into a fight that included Mr. Nuezca’s daughter. After a heated exchange of words between the daughter and Ms. Gregorio, the policeman is heard in the video telling Ms. Gregorio and her son: “I will finish you now.” The officer is then seen raising his handgun and shooting Mr. Gregorio and his mother each in the head at point-blank range.

Source: New York Times December 21, 2020 10:07 UTC