THE killing of an ex policeman during buy-bust operation last Friday night in Barangay Cambaro, Mandaue City was an exercise of a legitimate operation, said Senior Inspector James Conaco, chief of the Opao Police precinct in Mandaue City.
The Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7) is looking into the background of PO1 Rodric Garro, the cop who was killed in what police described as a shootout.
PRO-7 Director, Chief Supt. Debold Sinas ordered the background check to see if Garro was still on active duty.
“Wala pa tay additional report. Ato pa gipatan-aw sa Mandaue (City Police Office) kung unsa g’yud siya,” said Sinas.
(We do not have any additional report about Garro. We directed theMandaue City Police Office to check his background).
Involvement
Conado claimed that they received reports several months back of Garro’s alleged involvement in the illegal drug trade and had been monitoring him.
But they could not confirm the reports as Garro allegedly left his rented room in the area.
A couple of months ago, police again received reports of his presence allegedly selling drugs but only to the persons he knew.
“Nakakuha mi og asset nga kaila niya ug naka test buy mi niya, until nipalit na sab og balik among asset kauban sa police nagpakaron-ingnon nga user and until naanad na siya, then na buy-bust gyud namo,” said Conaco.
(We got an asset who knew him and we had a successful test buy, which we did again, this time with a policeman who pretended to be a user and continued to do so until Garro trusted him then we did a buy-bust.)
Conaco explained that when their police poseur buyer transacted with him at the second floor of his rented room, he noticed that the poseur buyer had another companion who was unfamiliar to him, prompting him to allegedly pull out a revolver and aim it at the poseur buyer.
The police were however quick to neutralize Garro, hitting him on the face and forehead.
Garro was brought to the Mandaue City Hospital but was declared dead.
Police recovered the P1,000 buy-bust money and five plastic sachets of suspected shabu (crystal meth) from the pocket of Garo at the hospital.
Forensic policemen allegedly found a .357 revolver on the floor of Garro’s room.
Unaware
Garro’s wife, who was not in their house, learned of the incident from the police.
She said she was not aware of her husband’s alleged illegal drug activity.
According to neighbors, the Garro couple has one child. Conaco added that Garro was a High Value Target in Cebu City drug watch list.
According to PO3 Ryan Berenguer, an operative from Opao police Station that Garro was his batchmate at a Basic Police Recruit Course but Garro was caught during that time selling an unlicensed firearm.
Garro then went AWOL and was no longer found and never completed the course.
Mandaue City Police Office Public Information Officer Chief Insp. Mercy Villaro said, Garro cannot be called a full-pledge policeman as he had not completed his Basic Police Recruit Course.