Police: Brutal slay of Grade 11 student triggered by alleged rape incident

BACOLOD CITY – Police said that the brutal killing of a Grade 11 student in Barangay Granada here was triggered by rumors linking him to an alleged rape incident.

A 20-year-old Grade 11 student was shot dead on June 2 after he was mistakenly linked to an alleged rape incident in Barangay Granada, Bacolod City. (Photo courtesy of Police Station 5)

Police Capt. Portia Nillosan, head of Police Station 5, said that 20-year-old Nicus Balagosa was allegedly shot by the father of the alleged rape victim in front of his parents in their house on Sunday, June 2.

Balagosa was mistakenly tagged as one of those who allegedly raped the 16-year-old daughter of one of the gunmen, according to Nillosan. 

Nillosan said the alleged rape incident happened a few days ago, when the teenage girl and Balagosa attended a friend’s birth anniversary party with their two other friends aged 17 and 19.

However, it was reported late to the police, she added.

After learning the incident involving his daughter, Nillosan said the girl’s father confronted Balagosa’s two friends who denied any involvement in the incident.

However, Nillosan said that the girl’s father may have heard rumors linking Balagosa to the incident that triggered him to act violently.

Nillosan said that based on medical examination, the girl was positively sexually molested. But she noted that based on their investigation, Balagosa had left the party before the alleged rape happened.  

She said they are probing Balagosa’s two friends in relation to the alleged rape incident.

Nillosan said they already have four persons of interest in the shooting incident and they have also identified the girl’s father as one of the two gunmen. However, she refused to name him to protect the identity of the alleged rape victim.

She said they were not able to clearly see the license plates of the get-away vehicle through a closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera, making it difficult for them to identify the car owner.

She said they are awaiting Balagosa’s family to file murder charges against the perpetrators who are still at large.