MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A Philippine court has found three police officers guilty of killing a student they alleged was a drug dealer, in the first known such conviction under the president's crackdown on drugs.
Regional Trial Court Presiding Judge Rodolfo Azucena Jr. ruled the officers murdered Kian Loyd delos Santos during raid in a slum in the Manila metropolis last year. It rejected the policemen's claim that the 17-year-old fired back while resisting arrest.
The court sentenced the officers to up to 40 years in prison without parole, although they can appeal.
Azucena says: "A shoot first, think later attitude can never be countenanced in a civilized society."
Duterte's crackdown, which has left thousands of suspects dead, has alarmed Western governments, U.N. rights experts and human rights watchdogs.
