MANILA - A town police chief in Negros Occidental has come under fire due to a viral video that shows him using another policeman as live target during shooting practice.
Jun Ledesma, who uploaded the video on Facebook, said Victorias City police chief Supt. Frederick Mead instructed a subordinate to position himself at a firing range last May 19.
The live target, identified as PO1 Marvin Gustilo, was shown with his arms outstretched and with a balloon gripped between his legs.
The 22-second clip ends with Gustilo falling on his knees after Mead's bullet supposedly hit him on the foot.
Ledesma denied earlier reports that Gustilo was only fixing the target board when Mead's M-16 rifle accidentally went off.
The netizen said Mead deliberately instructed Gustilo to position himself at the firing range and place a balloon between his legs.
Claiming that the Negros Occidental Provincial Police Office was biased towards Mead during the investigation, Ledesma appealed to higher-ranking police officials to hold the local police chief accountable for grave abuse of authority.
The national police has reportedly ordered the relief of Mead as head of the Victorias City Police Station, effective on Wednesday, June 22.