2 dead in Mandaluyong City after cops shoot at wrong car

MANILA, Philippines (3rd UPDATE)  – Two people are dead following a shooting incident along Shaw Boulevard in Mandaluyong City, on late Thursday evening, December 28, in what police believed to be a case of “mistaken identity.”

Police fired at a white Mitsubishi Adventure with plate number WNX 737, at around 10:25 pm at Barangay Pleasant Hills. 

Mandaluyong City police chief Senior Superintendent Moises Villaceran Jr  told reporters the shootout appeared to have been a case of mistaken identity.

Villaceran said a woman, identified as Jocelyn Ambaon, was shot in Addition Hills earlier that night, and the men in the vehicle brought the woman and her companions into their vehicle in an attempt to help.

A barangay watchman or tanod followed them, thinking they were involved in the shooting, and relayed the same information to the police. The miscommunication appeared to have led to the shootout. 

ANC reported that Ambaon died in the hospital while her companion died on the spot. Two others were hurt, including Ambaon’s live-in partner and the vehicle’s driver.

Malacañang said in a statement on Friday, December 29, that the incident will be investigated.

“[The} matter will be investigated fully even if there appears to be excessive force utilized by police authorities. It’s also proper that policemen involved have been disarmed and their movements restricted,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in a statement Friday morning. – With a report from Pia Ranada/Rappler.com