File photo
LAPU-LAPU CITY, Cebu — One was killed, another was arrested while a third suspect tried to escape but was later on killed by the police in a gunfight in Sitio Mapo, Brgy. Garing in Consolacion town.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Ruel Burlat, chief of Consolacion Police Station, said that the three men belonged to two opposing groups.
READ: Consolacion killing: Man shot dead by unknown assailant
Two of the armed suspects, who were identified as Vincent Yap, 27, and Rudy Capangpangan alias “Botyok,” allegedly stormed into the residence of Florencio Salde, 35, in Sitio Mapo at around 5 p.m. on Monday, July 15. Yap and Capangpangan were from Brgy. Pulpogan, also in Consolacion town.
Burlat said that the two fired shots at Salde who retaliated, which alarmed residents in the area and prompted them to call for police assistance.
READ: Construction worker shot dead by coworker after heated argument, police eye illegal drugs as motive
Gunfight
As Yap and Capangpangan were about to leave Sitio Mapo on a motorcycle, the cops arrived.
Left with nowhere else to go, the two men alleged fired shots at the responding police team.
READ: Cebu City shooting: Man, out on bail, killed inside his house
Burlat said his men fired back to defend themselves and managed to neutralized Yap while Capangpangan escaped on foot.
“Pagkakita sa katong duha ka taw nga naa atong mga tropa, ilang gipusil dayon. Ang usa gagamit ug KG9 ang usa gagamit ug 45. Para madepensahan ang ilang kaugalingon, dunay nahitabo nga gunfight,” Burlat said.
READ: Parian gunfight: 2 shooters, 3 other suspects nabbed
Yap later on died in the hospital while he was being treated for the bullet wounds on his body.
Salde, on the other hand, surrendered to the police and turned over his AR15 rifle with magazine and three live ammunition.
He was also brought to the hospital for the treatment of a bullet wound on his left foot which he sustained during the armed encounter with the two other suspects.
Salde was later on detained at the Consolacion Police Station for possessing an unlicensed firearm.
Meanwhile, police recovered from Yap’s possession a medium-sized plastic believed to contain shabu and some coins.
They also recovered at the crime scene a motorcycle, wallet, red baseball cap, the KG9 submachine gun used by Yap , a fired cartridge case, and 28 pieces of live ammunition.
Hot Pursuit
Burlat said that Capangpangan was killed by the police during a hot pursuit operation in Sitio Mapo early on Tuesday morning.
“While naghimo ta ug hot pursuit operation naka-receive tag tawag nga naay usa ka tawo nga armed person nga spotted sa lugar. Base sa report nga pag-responde sa atong tropa, gipusil napod sila which resulted napod [sa] gunfight,” Burlat said.
“Kami sa part sa kapulisan, as much as we want to save lives, kung ang kinabuhi na gani sa kapulisan ang mabutang sa peligro, kinahanglan pod tang modepensa,” he added.
Burlat said they continue to investigate the shooting incident in Sitio Mapo to determine what prompted Yap and Capangpangan to try to kill Salde.
This early, he could only speculate that illegal drugs caused their disagreement.