MANILA — PBA player John Amores and his brother were released from custody on Friday after posting bail for attempted homicide charges.
The siblings were accused of firing a gun at a man following a basketball game in Lumban, Laguna. Charges were filed against them at the Municipal Circuit Trial Court in Lumban, with bail set at P24,000 for John Amores and P10,000 for his brother.
“Hindi na po ako masyadong magko-comment dahil yun po ang appreciation ng fiscal’s office na ibababa po siya sa attempted homicide,” said Lumban police chief PMaj. Bob Louis Ordiz.
Police stated that they had sufficient evidence to file the charges against the Amores brothers.
“Nai-present naman natin sa fiscal’s office lahat ng hawak nating ebidensya including yung ating CCTV footage, at yung sworn statement ng ating victim at witness, kasama rin po doon para maging admissible po yung CCTV footage yung sworn statement nung may-ari ng CCTV,” Ordiz added.
The CCTV footage reportedly captured John Amores alighting from a motorcycle driven by his 20-year-old brother in Barangay Maytalang Uno around 5 p.m. on Wednesday, where he allegedly fired a gun at the victim.
The brothers surrendered to authorities early Thursday.
Paraffin tests conducted on John Amores came back negative for gunpowder residue, according to the police.
“Although negative yung lumabas na result, hindi naman po ito nagpapatunay na hindi siya nagpaputok ng baril, yung nga po dahil may iba-ibang factors kung bakit walang presence ng gunpowder nitrate yung kamay,” Ordiz explained.
Since the shooting occurred outdoors, Ordiz said environmental factors, such as wind direction and temperature, might have influenced the paraffin test results. The gun’s angle when fired could also be a contributing factor.
The firearm allegedly used in the shooting has yet to be found, but live ammunition was recovered at the scene.
“Our intel team is still searching along the highway from Maytalang Uno to Pagsanjan as he claimed to have thrown the gun there after the incident,” Ordiz said.
Amores declined to provide any statements following his release.
“Di siya masyado nagko-comment about dun sa kung bakit niya binaril, kung ano reason niya bakit ganoon yung nangyari. Ang sabi niya eh sa hearing na lang siya sasagot,” Ordiz noted.
The Firearms and Explosives Office is currently investigating if Amores has any registered firearms.
His arraignment and pre-trial are scheduled for December 4.