Tacloban shooters. Photo courtesy of PNA.
The parents of Ayessha Nicole Dazo, one of the three students killed in the San Jose National High School shooting in Tacloban City, called on authorities to include the 14-year-old suspect in the criminal complaint.
Ayessha’s father, Nico Dazo, said Saturday that the family could not accept that only the 15-year-old suspect had been charged despite accounts allegedly pointing to the younger boy’s role in the attack.
Dazo said witnesses had identified the 14-year-old as the one who shot his daughter, adding that placing him only under government custody was not enough for the family seeking accountability.
The two minor suspects have been under the custody of the Department of Social Welfare and Development since their arrest after the June 22 shooting, which killed three students and wounded at least 20 others.
Police earlier filed a complaint against the 15-year-old suspect for three counts of murder, three counts of frustrated murder, and multiple counts of serious physical injuries before the City Prosecutor’s Office.
No criminal complaint has been filed against the 14-year-old suspect, who is below the minimum age of criminal responsibility under the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act and is set to turn 15 on Aug. 25.
The mothers of the two other slain students, Chris Lorenz Fabian and Joyancee Separa, had also asked authorities to hold the younger suspect accountable. The two victims were 15-year-old Grade 10 students, while the alleged gunmen were in Grade 9.
DepEd said one wounded student remained in intensive care but was conscious and coherent, while several others continued to recover. Local officials also began repairing the school’s perimeter fence, where the 14-year-old suspect allegedly escaped before he was later arrested by police.
