1 killed in melee in immigration jail

Tension gripped the Bureau of Immigration and Deportation (BI) detention cell in Camp Bagong Diwa, Bicutan, Taguig City late Thursday night after inmates engaged in a riot that left one of them dead.

The fatality was identified as Jessie James Bronsil, reportedly an American national, who was shot and hit in the chest by BI agent Ricardo Iresare during the chaos.

The US Embassy denied that Bronsil is an American. Bronsil had claimed that he is an American but he failed to show documents to prove it.

Investigation conducted by the Taguig police showed that the incident started at about 9:15 p.m. when Bronsil, who was allegedly drunk and armed with a bladed weapon, went amuck inside the cell.

Homicide investigator Conrad Mapili said jail guard Walter Blardone was able to grab the weapon from Bronsil during a scuffle while the other inmates joined in and started throwing rocks, bottles and other objects at the responding guards.

After the victim was pacified, the guards returned to their posts but Bronsil managed to get hold of a screw driver and challenged the guards to shoot him. When the BID guards ignored him, Bronsil proceeded to the cell's kitchen breaking the glass door and window.

It was at this juncture that Iresare tried to pacify the victim but Bronsil stabbed the guard prompting Iresare to shoot the victim.

Bronsil was brought to the Sabili Hospital in Lower Bicutan and was later transferred to the South Superhighway Medical Center in Parañaque City where he was declared dead on arrival by attending physician, Anna Marie Vilaria.

Bronsil was previously detained at the Muntinlupa City jail on charges of illegal possession of firearms and was brought to the BI jail while authorities are processing his deportation papers. Taguig Police Director Alfred Sotto Corpus said Bronsil had been detained at the BID cell for almost a year and was being kept in a shanty beside the detention cell where he is detained as he was suffering from tuberculosis.