STEPHANIE NICOLE ELLA: Stray Bullet Victim Passed Away

STEPHANIE NICOLE ELLA: Stray Bullet Victim Passed Away

Another young life gone to waste. After fighting for her life for 38 hours, Stephanie Nicole Ella, 7 years old, succumb to death on Wednesday afternoon, January 2, 2012. A victim of indiscriminate firing on New Year's eve.  Ella, was hit by a bullet on the head.  The bullet entered the left side of Ella’s brain and lodged on the left side of her face beside her nose, while she was watching fireworks of the New Year’s eve revelry with her family in Caloocan City. The little girl in pink died from "intra-cerebral hemorrhage secondary to gunshot wound. 

All Filipinos were supposed to be happy celebrating the new year but all I saw and hear on the news were a 4 yr. old boy and a 7 yr. old girl who died because of gunshot wounds. Not to mention the 2 yr. old who was hit by a stray bullet while confined in the hospital. Is this the society we all want our children to grow up in? How many more people should die before these irresponsible gun owners stop firing indiscriminately? Don't you know that when you fire your gun up in the sky it will fall down. Why? That's basic! Whatever comes up will go down. 

DEADLY BULLET. Dr. Emmanuel Bueno, Director of the East Avenue Medical Center, displays a series of x-ray photos that show where the stray bullet that hit Stephanie Nicole Ella had lodged in her head. Photo by JAMIE MARIE ELONA/INQUIRER

The government should impose higher penalty for those people found firing indiscriminately. Death Penalty should be put back so people with ill-soul will mellow a little and stop using their guns.

The bullet from a caliber 45 pistol that killed Stephanie Nicole Ella was fired from a 50-meter radius with a trajectory of almost 90 degrees, according to an initial police autopsy report. Her skull wound is round so it means the trajectory was about 90 degrees.

Talking about indiscriminate firing during New Year, let me share you my personal story.

I remember way back in 2009, our neighbor shot our window on New Year's eve. It is a good thing that we were out of the country during that New Year's celebration. We found two (2) slugs of marbles (holen).  It is said to be the slugs used on their paltik revolver.  A witness saw him when he allegedly fired at our window from their terrace. Reason: Unknown. It might have been another case of indiscriminate firing, since the alleged shooter claims to be a police officer, whether that is true or not, I don't know who to contact to verify the authenticity of his so called police satus. Maybe it was merry making or maybe a wrong sense of power or maybe trip trip lang, who knows. Since I do not understand his reason, I did not bother talking to the old man, who according to other neighbors had several cases for firing his gun to other neighbors dwellings inside our subdivision, unprovoked. We've always been amiable to him and his family despite his abuses in the neighborhood and to my brother's kindness. Since we were neighbors we decided not to file a complaint or press charges. We did not replace the window to remind him constantly of what he did to us.

People who have any information that can assist in Ella's case - or anybody who has any information on irresponsible gun owners - may offer help and information via the PNP hotline: (0917) 8475757.