Another police officer was killed in an ambush in early evening on Tuesday in Cebu.
This time the shooting incident happened in Sitio Cabancalan, Barangay Daanlungsod, Toledo City in western Cebu where a gunman shot dead PO2 Melchizedeck Batomalaque, a police officer who was assigned in Mindanao.
Initial investigation showed that Batomalaque, 37, was heading out riding his motorcycle from his house when he was shot several times by an unidentified assailant at past 6 p.m., said SPO1 Roxam Enerio, desk officer of Toledo City Police Station in a phone interview on Tuesday.
Enerio said that the victim was hit several times in the body and head while the unidentified gunman fled after the attack.
Batomalaque was rushed to the Toledo City Hospital where attending physician, Dr. Abjel Khan Espera, declared him dead on arrival, said Enerio.
Enerio also said that Batomalaque was assigned to the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao but prior to his Mindanao assignment he served at the Dalaguete Police Station.
PO2 Batomalaque’s death followed the death of two police officers in the previous weeks. One was ambushed in Alegria town in southern Cebu while the other one was killed in an alleged shootout with fellow police officers during an alleged buy-bust operation in Mandaue City./With Reporter Nestle L. Semilla