Robbers kill cop, injure his partner

A policeman was shot dead while another was critically wounded early dawn yesterday as they tried to stop fleeing robbers at the Mandaue Reclamation Area near the Cebu International Convention Center.

Senior Police Officer 1 Pedro Sucion died on the spot while his partner, PO2 Darius Conejos was rushed to the Chong Hua Hospital with a gunshot wound.

The two policemen were trying to flag down a tricycle in the process of investigating a gunshot that they heard when the assailants shot them without provocation.

Sucion, 49 years old and married of barangay Labogon, Mandaue City was hit on his nape and on his belly. 

Conejos, 30 and also married of barangay Labangon, Cebu City, was hit on his chest and shoulder.  He was declared out of danger hours later at the hospital.

Sucion and Conejos were on beat patrol when the incident took place at FF Cruz St.

They reportedly tried to investigate a gunshot that they heard not knowing that there were three men on board as tricycle fleeing the scene of a crime after robbing a taxi driver of P2,000 cash and his mobile phone.

One of the three men has been identified as a certain “Joegro,” who is reportedly a notorious robber who has victimized many people in the area.

They allegedly robbed Arnel Quimbot, 30, a resident of barangay Cogon-West in Carmen.

Quimbot told PO3 June Tago of investigation section of the Mandaue City Police Office that the robbers boarded his cab at the corner of Borromeo and Colon Streets in Cebu City and asked him to proceed to the North Reclamation Area.

According to the driver one of the robbers told him to just follow the direction that they were giving for the place they wanted to go to in Mandaue City.

When they reached a poorly-lit area, the three men reportedly drew their guns and declared a hold up.

After the heist, the three men scampered away from the cab, but fired shots to scare their victim before they boarded a tricycle.

The gunfire was reportedly heard by the two policemen, who were on patrol at the time of the incident.

“Nag-responde sila sa robbery hold-up sa usa ka taxi diha sa lugar, maoy ilang nasugatan kadtong tricycle ilang gi-flag down diha man diay nisakay ang mga tulisan giunhan sila og pusil,(they were responding a robbery-holdup involving a taxi cab, and saw a tricycle and they flagged it down, unknown to them that the robbers were onboard the tricycle and opened fire at them),” Sr. Insp. Seigfred Toribio, chief of the Centro Police Station said in an interview with The Freeman.

Conejos claimed he managed to pull the trigger of his Beretta 9 millimeter pistol, but the gun misfired while the suspects immediately sped-off towards the Mandaue City Public Market in barangay Centro.

Procedural Lapse?

The two policemen reportedly stood opposite each other on the road when they tried to flag down the tricycle.

Witnesses said that man who was behind the driver shot Conejos while one of two men who were riding at the sidecar fired at Sucion.

An already wounded Conejos called for back up through his handheld radio, but the responding policemen failed to find the three men.

The driver of the tricycle, which was used as get away vehicle, is however already under police custody.

The police believed that the suspects possibly used revolvers because there were no empty shells found at the crime scene.

Sr. Supt. Rodel Calungsod, officer-in-charge of the MCP0, told reporters that there would be refresher training to be conducted on police intervention techniques to avoid the same incident.

Calungsod also said that they have already identified possible suspects.

Toribio said that Sucion is survived by his wife and daughter.

His remains were be brought to their residence in sitio Tanumay barangay Labogon in Mandaue City.

The death of Sucion comes barely a month after PO1 Noriel Luage of the Cebu City Police Office was allegedly shot dead by Ramon ‘Boy’ Baclohan while serving a search warrant.

Baclohan, who has been alleged to be the handler of guns for hire in Metro Cebu, was also subsequently killed by another policeman, who was with Luage.  (/NLQ)