12-year-old girl dead in police shootout

GENERAL SANTOS CITY — Police officers involved in a weekend shootout in Barangay Labangal have expressed readiness to face sanctions if investigations find lapses in their response to an incident that left a 12-year-old girl dead.

Police Major Ari Noel Cardos of the General Santos City Police Office said Monday, 20 April, that responding personnel — dispatched after reports of indiscriminate gunfire in Purok Pandian — have undergone standard post-incident procedures, including paraffin testing and ballistic examination of their firearms.

Initial findings confirmed that three officers discharged their weapons during the encounter.

The incident occurred Saturday night when police responded to reports of gunfire. Upon arrival, authorities said the suspect allegedly fired at them, triggering a shootout in a densely populated community composed largely of light-material houses.

During the exchange, a 12-year-old girl was struck by a stray bullet and later died, raising serious concerns over operational protocols and the safety risks faced by civilians in residential areas during armed confrontations.

Cardos said investigators are now focusing on whether the officers exercised proper judgment in the conduct of their duties, particularly in their choice of cover during the firefight. He noted that one key issue under review is the decision of some officers to take cover inside or near a house where a child was present, which may have contributed to the fatal outcome.

“What we are investigating is whether their actions at that moment were correct,” Cardos said in Filipino, stressing that authorities will determine if standard operating procedures were followed or violated.

The case is currently under review by the Philippine National Police Internal Affairs Service and the Provincial Investigation and Detective Management Unit, which will assess both administrative and operational accountability based on gathered evidence.

Cardos emphasized that the involved officers are fully cooperating with investigators and are prepared to accept the findings of the probe. “We will give our side and present our evidence. The process is evidence-based, and we will respect the outcome,” he said.