Suspect in cop's slay shot dead by police

CEBU, Philippines - The man suspected of killing PO2 Jose Clint Cañete, the policemen assigned to anti-illegal drug cases who was shot dead on the Mandaue-Mactan Bridge last year, was killed yesterday by policemen who tried to arrest him in the mountain barangay of Tag-ubi, Compostela town.

Policemen said they were forced to shoot Ronel “Tata” Wagas, 24, of barangay Tag-ubi, after he tried to lob a grenade at them.

Joint operatives of the Provincial Intelligence Bureau, the Regional Anti-Special Operations Task Force and the Mandaue City Police Office were supposed to serve the two warrants of arrest for murder and violation of the Section 5 of the Republic Act 9165 against Wagas who was found in an illegal cockfight yesterday afternoon.

But according to Cebu Provincial Police office director Sr. Supt. Erson Digal, who was also there to supervise his arrest, the suspect resisted then ran away from the police team.

During the chase, the suspect allegedly tried to pull the safety pin from a hand grenade that he had with him prompting policemen to open fire. He was killed instantly.

Digal said they brought the body to the Cosmopolitan funeral parlor in Liloan town for an autopsy.

He said that although the operatives found a .45 cal. pistol at the crime scene that allegedly belonged to the suspect they failed to recover the hand grenade as it was thrown away after he was shot by the policemen.

Digal said that Wagas, who is allegedly the protector of the said illegal cockpit, was also confirmed to be a member of a private armed group.

Wagas was identified as the assailant of Cañete after his accomplice Arnel Tejero Montero, 37, also of Compostela town, was arrested during a buy-bust operation by joint elements of the Mandaue City Police Office and the RAIDSOTF in January last year

After his arrest Montero allegedly admitted that he was the one who drove the motorcycle while Wagas rode pillion and shot Canete after they followed him home from a court hearing in Lapu-Lapu City in October 2008.

Montero also claimed Wagas worked for Paquito “Quipot” Oyao, who was also arrested for a drug-related case. Cañete was one of the operatives who arrested him.

Montero said that he received P5,000 for driving the motorcycle while Wagas received P20,000 for the “job”. — Flor Z. Perolina/BRP   (FREEMAN NEWS)