Cop, 2 others killed in Catmon shootout

A policeman and two armed men were killed in a shootout in Catmon town in northern Cebu last night.

Two other policemen were wounded while another armed man was arrested.

Emergency room (ER) staff  at the Cebu Provincial Hospital – Danao City said three men were brought in and pronounced dead last night while two wounded policemen were transferred to a hospital in Cebu City.

Sogod town police chief Sr. Inspector Roco Emperwa confirmed the death of the policeman.

He withheld names of the the casualties because their families have not been informed as of 10 p.m. yesterday.

Sogod police, along with those from Carmen town and Danao City, sent reinforcements and joined the hot pursuit operations against the armed men, who Emperwa said could have been robbers.

SP02 Cresente Armamento, desk officer of the Catmon Police Station, said they got a call at around 7:45 p.m. from off-duty personnel P03 Ben Navales about suspicious persons in barangay Binungkalan.

The team led by SP02 Rex Menchavez with P02 Aaron Benjamin Ariso, P02 Dionilio Ordina and P03 Arnel Fruta responded to the alarm.

A few minutes later, the team called for back-up because they were in a gun battle with armed men.

Two other policemen from the station went to the area. Nearby stations also sent back-up forces.

Armamento confirmed that one person was arrested and was being investigated at the police station as of 10 p.m. last night.