Police may have fired lead shot at prisoners who died from burns

More questions of police overreaction have surfaced during the investigations into the burning deaths of five teenage prisoners in a juvenile detention center.

Prosecutors say they are investigating claims that police may have fired pellets at the inmates into the cell holding seven prisoners. While they screamed for help. Police stood by and did nothing. The events were shown on TV around the world.

Prosecutors said the investigation initially focused on determining who was responsible for launching tear gas into the cell. The gas canisters started the fire which killed five of the seven inmates

Now the investigation has been extended to determine the cause of other injuries suffered by the inmates.

One of the survivors, still in hospital being treatd for multiple burns to a large part of his body,, told prosecutors he had scars from shotgun pellets, and said police fired into the cell. Doctors from the Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences said the bodies of those who died from burns in Santo Tomas Hospital had wounds consistent with shotgun pellets.

Pablo Quintero, part of the legal team representing the victims, said he hopes information about the shooting will be clarified when the incident is reconstructed next week.  Two of nine police officers charged in the case have admitted to  carrying shotguns at the time.

In addition to the two survivors, 14 other inmates will take part in the reconstruction.

Nine police officers and three prison employees have been charged in the case.

Last year four demonstrators were killed and others blinded or partially blinded, and many more injured from lead shot fired by police. No one was charged.