A MURDER suspect was killed while three of his cohorts were arrested for the killing of two policemen in Mabalacat City, Pampanga last Saturday, police reported yesterday.
The Central Luzon Regional Police Office identified the slain suspect as Kiel Chua, alias Kelkel, who was killed in a shootout with policemen manning a checkpoint in Barangay Duquit, Mabalacat City at around 3 a.m. yesterday.
Mabalacat City policemen tried to flag down a man aboard a motorcycle who “evaded the checkpoint and opened fire” at the lawmen. The cops returned fire, leading to the death of the suspect, who was later identified as Chua.
Seized from his possession was a cal. 45 pistol and his motorcycle.
At around 10 a.m. last Saturday, Chua’s cohorts — Jun Jun Espiritu Baluyot, 44; Aries Espiritu Bagsic, 40; and Leslie Placiente, 30 — were arrested by police in Barangay Dau, Mabalacat City.
Police said the slain and arrested suspects were behind the killing of Senior Master Sergeant Sofronio Capitle Jr. and Staff Sergeant Dominador Gacusan Jr. in Mabalacat City at around 3:30 a.m. last Saturday.
Capitle and Gacusan, members of the Mabalacat City police station, had just conducted an anti-drug operation in the area when they were shot dead by the suspects.
Central Luzon Police Director Brig. Gen. Cesar Pasiwen said Baluyot executed an extra-judicial confession before the shootout, implicating Chua to the murder of the two policemen.
A motorcycle with bloodstains believed to have been used in the killing of Capitle and Gacusan was seized from Baluyot, police said.
Pasiwen said two other suspects, identified as one Kenneth Flores and one alias Pusa, are the subjects of manhunt operations.
Pasiwen said the firearm of one of the slain cops was recovered at the roof gutter of the house of Flores.
“We will have no respite until all the perpetrators are caught and even if two of our members were killed in line with our diligent efforts to stop the proliferation of illegal drugs, still we are committed in our waging war against this menace. We will continue to be relentless in our campaign at all costs,” said Pasiwen.
PNP chief Rodolfo Azurin Jr. had earlier directed the Central Luzon regional police office “to supervise the conduct of thorough investigation and pursuit operation” for the immediate arrest of the suspects.
Azurin also expressed the PNP’s “heartfelt condolences” to the bereaved families of Capitle and Gacusan.
