“License to Kill”

A relative told Human Rights Watch that Francisco’s friends informed them that almost
immediately after Francisco entered his home, a dozen men in civilian clothes arrived in
the area in a white van. The men, whom later police reports confirm were police officers,
ordered Francisco’s friends, who were still drinking in the street, to leave the area. The
men then entered Francisco’s room by kicking down the door, and soon thereafter
gunshots rang out, killing Francisco. 117
The police report suggests that Francisco’s death was part of a “buy-bust” drug operation,
and that undercover police killed him after he opened fire on them:
During the operation, [a police officer] posed as the poseur buyer together
with [a police officer] as backup. [The police officer] handed over to
Francisco the marked money in exchange for the shabu. They were about to
buy sensing that suspect had a transaction with the police officer he drew
his firearm tucked from his back waistline at this juncture Francisco leveled
the said firearm to [the officer] and shot the later one but missed in return
they retaliate and shot Francisco twice hitting him on the right portion of his
chest that caused instantaneous death. 118
According to the police report, police recovered at the scene an ARMSCOR .38 caliber
revolver, loaded with five live bullets and a misfired bullet, as well as shabu and drug
paraphernalia. 119 Francisco’s relatives do not dispute the police claim that Francisco was
involved in drug dealing. However, the relative interviewed by Human Rights Watch
challenged the police version of his death, noting that Francisco had gone to sleep in his
room after leaving the company of his friends, and that the police kicked down the door of
his room—which is inconsistent with a drug buy-bust sting described in the police report. 120
117 Ibid.
118 Valenzuela Police Station, NOC: RE Encounter with Drug Personality, July 21, 2016 (on file with Human Rights Watch).
119 Ibid.
120 Human Rights Watch interview with relative of Henry Francisco, name withheld, October 19, 2016.
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