This is the area where the shootout happened at past 5 a.m., on August 20, in Barangay Jampung, Argao town in southern Cebu. | Contributed photo via Paul Lauro
CEBU CITY, Philippines — A 15-minute firefight between policemen and three armed men in a mountain barangay in Argao town in southern Cebu ended in the death of one of the armed men.
No policeman was hurt in the shootout.
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Police Major Janus Giangan, chief of Argao Police Station, in a phone interview with CDN Digital, said that the Argao policemen were only serving a warrant of arrest on one of the three armed in Barangay Jampung, a mountain barangay in Argao.
This was done at past 5 a.m. this morning, August 20.
The subject of the arrest warrant, Jonathan Comaling, however, managed to escape together with his brother, Joel, on a motorcycle at the height of the shootout.
They left behind their cousin, Jay, who died in the firefight.
He was hit on the chest as he shot it out with policemen using his KG submachinegun pistol.
Jay was also trying to reach another motorcycle when he was hit as he tried to go outside to escape.
Jay’s cousins, Jonathan and Joel, however, made good their escape and even threw a hand grenade at the policemen who tried to chase them on foot.
The hand grenade, which did not explode, was later found in the area and police had to cordon off the area to retrieve the explosive.
Police later rushed the wounded Jay Comaling to the Isidro C Kintanar Memorial Hospital (ICKMH), Brgy Bogo, Argao town but he was declared dead on arrival by the attending physician of the hospital.
Argao Police Station chief, Police Major Giangan said that the policemen were trying to serve an arrest warrant for illegal possession of firearm on Jonathan Comaling.
The arrest warrant was issued by Judge Francis Rainier Navarrete, Regional Trial Court Branch 63, 7th Judicial Region.
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However, the policemen, who were on foot, were seen by Jonathan as they approached the house owned by his cousin Jay Comaling.
Jonathan then opened fire on the approaching policemen. This started a 15-minute firefight between Jonathan, Joel and Jay as the policemen fired back at the three men.
Police Major Giangan described the three men, Jay, Jonathan and Joel, as suspected robbers and suspected hitmen of drug personalities.
Giangan, however, did not give specific details on why these three men were described as suspected robbers and suspected hitmen of drug personalities.
As for the two other suspects, who escaped, Giangan said that they continued to investigate and locate the possible locations on where the two suspects, who escaped during the shootout were, and arrest them.
Argao town is a first class municipality in the province of Cebu which is estimated to be 67 kilometers south of Cebu City.