Raymond Lizama Saralu, 27, walks to Courtroom 220 with a Corrections officer Monday morning.
EIGHT different firearms were found at the Kagman residence of the police officer who was charged in connection with the accidental discharge of his service firearm, which seriously injured his seven-year-old nephew on May 21, 2023.
On Friday afternoon, Police Officer Raymond L. Saralu was arrested on charges of aggravated assault and battery, and storage of firearms.
In a statement, Department of Public Safety Public Information Officer Sgt. Fred Sato said, “Saralu is a seven-year police veteran. He graduated from the Police Academy in 2016. He has been placed on administrative leave without pay pending the outcome of the case.”
On Monday morning, Saralu, 27, appeared in the custody of the Department of Corrections for a bail hearing before Superior Court Associate Judge Joseph N. Camacho, who set a $50,000 cash bail.
Assistant Public Defender Karie Comstock, who was appointed to represent Saralu, asked the court to reduce bail and allow her client to post 10% of the bail.
“He has many ties in the community. His father is a police officer, and other family members are also law enforcement officers. He has not been charged with malice. I would recommend lowering the bail,” Comstock said.
Chief Prosecutor Chester Hinds, who represented the government, opposed the request of the defense, saying that the incident was a major crime, and a victim was seriously injured.
Judge Camacho denied the request of the defense. “The DPS-issued gun was in a holster on a chair where the kid got it initially, then the gun makes it back to a holster in a hamper underneath clothes. A non-DPS gun and a clip were in an area where a gun was discharged. But the bullet came from the DPS-issued gun,” the judge noted.
After the hearing, the defendant was remanded to the custody of Corrections and was ordered to return to court on Aug. 11 at 10 a.m. for a preliminary hearing, and on Aug. 21 at 9 a.m. for an arraignment.
Background
According to the complaint and affidavit of probable cause in support of the issuance of an arrest warrant, Saralu called DPS 911 dispatch on May 21 at about 9:06 p.m., requesting an ambulance to his residence in Kagman III.
On the same night, the seven-year-old victim was placed in the intensive care unit of the Commonwealth Health Center. He suffered an entry wound on the left side of his face. He also had a jaw fracture and some teeth broken.
Responding police officers found a total of eight unsecured firearms in different areas of Saralu’s residence. An investigator reported that some of the firearms were found in an unfinished closet space that had no doors.
A Phoenix Arms HP22A .22 handgun, and Aero Precision LLC X15 AR were procured from Saralu’s personal vehicle while a Remington 870 pump action shotgun, a Ruger Prescott handgun, a Glock 43, a Benjamin .177, Ruger .22 Rifle, and a government-issued handgun, a Glock 19 Gen 5 9mm, were found inside his residence.
Saralu told responding police officers that he did not have a safe yet.
“Saralu’s government-issued handgun was observed to be in his holster on his duty belt placed inside a laundry basket and covered with clothing,” the complaint stated.
The mother of the victim told police that she learned from her son that another boy took the gun from Saralu’s belt. When the victim took the gun from the other boy, the gun discharged.
The victim was later transported to Guam Memorial Hospital by a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter with his parents.
Medical personnel at GMH removed shrapnel from the boy's face on May 23, 2023, and conducted a palate repair.
Shrapnel removed during the surgery was obtained by the Guam Police Department and submitted to the Guam Forensic Laboratory as evidence.
In an interview with investigators, Saralu stated that he had rushed inside the room and saw that his personal gun, a Ruger 9mm, and a magazine clip were on the floor. He said his department-issued firearm was found by a responding officer in a basket in an unfinished closet.
The seven-year-old boy, in a forensic interview with the Division of Youth Services, said he and his minor uncle were playing inside his uncle Raymond Saralu’s room. The boy said his minor uncle took a gun from Saralu’s black belt, which was located on a chair near a bed in Saralu’s room.
The boy described the belt as “having other stuff” from Saralu’s work, including handcuffs and a baton.
The boy said he took the gun from his minor uncle to bring it to Saralu. But when he was by the door, the gun went off and all he remembered was a loud ringing sound and a bright white light.
According to his mother, the 7-year-old boy is experiencing loss of muscle control on the side of his face and loss of vision in his left eye due to the damage from the bullet fragments.
Based on the ballistic evidence collected by investigators at the location and analyzed by the Guam Police Department crime lab, the shell casings and fragments originated from Saralu’s government-issued firearm, DPS added.
