A 53-year-old man arrested for possessing a gun was implicated in the killing of a policeman last week in barangay Gun-ob, Lapu-Lapu City.
Police said a sling bag containing the photo of the slain PO1 Romel Gilig was recovered from Virgilio Franco, a resident of barangay Buaya, Lapu-Lapu City.
After the arrest, Franco was identified by Mark Lumongsod, a mechanic of a machine shop owned by Gilig, as the one who fatally shot the policeman, who was about to leave the machine shop after talking to Lumongsod last Dec.3.
Franco, who denied the accusation against him, was arrested after police was tipped off last Thursday afternoon that a man was spotted sitting on a motorcycle on Humay-Humay Road with an object believed to be a firearm bulging in his waistline.
When police arrived at the area, the man, who was later identified as Franco, threw a sling bag and tried to escape but was cornered by two policemen.
Police frisked the man and recovered a loaded .357 revolver in his possession. Police also later found out that the sling bag contained a grenade, a photo of PO1 Gilig and a cellphone. The man’s motorcycle with number YW-8803 was also seized.
Franco denied killing Gilig. He also denied that he was carrying a firearm when he was arrested.
He also claimed the sling bag only contained tools he used as an electrician. Franco will be charged with murder and illegal possession of firearms and explosives, said Senior Supt. Armando Radoc, officer-in-charge of LLCPO.
Radoc said there is enough evidence to pin down Radoc in the policeman’s death as there is a second witness who identified him as the gunman.
Radoc said personal grudges are being looked into as possible motive of the killing.
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