The suspected gunman in the slay of a Christian pastor in Barangay Bonbon, Cebu City was killed Tuesday in a shootout with police in Barangay Guadalupe.
Oliver “Kabang” Devilleres, of Dalaguete, Cebu, was identified by the two other suspects as the gunman in the June 5 killing of Crisostomo Maternal Jr., a pastor of the Bonbon Mission Church.
Chief Insp. Jose Gesto, Guadalupe police station chief, said a team of policemen was sent to Guardario Street past 10 p.m. on Tuesday after they received a call from a concerned citizen about the presence of an armed person in the area. When the police got there, Devilleres allegedly pulled out his .45 caliber pistol and aimed at the policemen, prompting them to shoot him.
Gesto said Devilleres, in his 40s, was shot twice — in the chest and on his head. He was brought to the Cebu City Medical Center but was pronounced dead on arrival.
Senior Supt. Benjamin Santos Jr., Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) director, considered as “closed” the investigation into the death of Maternal.
Last June 7, two days after the pastor was killed, police arrested Gary Daclan, the alleged mastermind. The next day, Benjie dela Cerna, the driver of the motorcycle used in the ambush, surrendered to the police. Both admitted their participation in the crime and identified Devilleres as the gunman.
Daclan said Maternal was killed because the drug dealers in Bonbon had thought that he had told law enforcers about their operations in the barangay. Days before his death, Maternal was seen in the company of soldiers who were in Bonbon to take part in Brigada Eskwela, a project of the Department of Education where volunteers helped clean school buildings for the opening of classes.
Daclan said he contacted their “leader,” a certain Ramil Bonghanoy, an inmate at the National Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City, who ordered him to find a hitman. Devilleres was paid P30,000 to kill Maternal, Daclan added.
Gesto said they did not know of Devilleres’s whereabouts until he was found to be the same person killed by the police on Tuesday.
Gesto said Devilleres had pending carnapping and illegal drugs cases. He also had previous illegal drug conviction and spent time in Bilibid.
Daclan, Dela Cerna, Bonghanoy and Devilleres were charged with murder before the Cebu City prosecutors’ office.
The case against Daclan and Dela Cerna were now elevated to the trial court.
Chief Supt. Patrocinio Comendador Jr., director of the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas, said they were now coordinating with jail authorities on how proceed with the legal action against the mastermind who is still in Bilibid./with USJ-R Intern Dafne N. Wencesalo
Disclaimer: The comments uploaded on this site do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of management and owner of Cebudailynews. We reserve the right to exclude comments that we deem to be inconsistent with our editorial standards.
