Teeners in shootout with cops; 1 dead

A teenager was killed while his three companions were arrested after they engaged policemen in a shootout after midnight yesterday on E. Rodriquez Avenue, Quezon City.

Authorities identified the fatality as Russel Arroyo, a resident of G. Araneta, Barangay Sienna. He suffered bullet wounds in the body and died on the spot.

His companions Carlos Bañaga, Elvis Boledo, both 18, and a certain "Jimmy" are now detained at the Central Police District headquarters awaiting the filing of proper charges.

The suspects shot it out with cops on board a stolen EFE taxi (PY-942) after robbing two bystanders at about 11 p.m. The suspects claimed that they needed cash "for enrollment in school."

Initial reports showed that the incident took place at about 12:10 a.m. along E. Rodriguez corner D. Tuazon streets. Policemen were patrolling the area after receiving reports that the suspects were nearby.

When the police officers spotted the suspects on board the taxi cab, they flagged down the vehicle to stop. The teenagers, who were armed with handguns, opened fire on the policemen, triggering a brief chase and a shootout.

When the smoke cleared, Arroyo lay dead and the three others were apprehended.

In Parañaque, a taxi driver was killed by two men who were out to rob him of his earnings yesterday.

The stab wounds sustained by Juaniyo Campaya showed that he put up a brave fight against the robbers who attacked him inside a subdivision in Parañaque City yesterday.

Unfortunately, Campaya’s courage was not enough to save him.

Campaya was stabbed five time and left for dead by at least two assailants, said Senior Inspector Jose Rony Sorro, of the Southern Police District-Scene of the Crime Operations (SPD-SOCO).

The victim was stabbed three times in the chest, once each on the neck, above the navel, and the lower arm.

He also had lacerations on his hands, indicating that he tried to parry or wrestle away the bladed weapon, Sorro added.

Campaya, a resident of PNR Site, Barangay Putatan, Muntinlupa, was described as slim and between 50 to 55 years old.

He was identified through his driver’s license.

A 19-year-old female jogger found Campaya’s body at a vacant lot on Starlight Street, Annex 31, Better Living Subdivision, Parañaque, at around 6:30 a.m., Sorro said.

The victim’s body was lying some five meters away from his white Kia Pride taxi (PYC 889).

Police said Campaya was most likely robbed by his assailants and when he put up a fight, was killed.

A pair of red and pink slippers, believed to be owned by one of the assailants, were found near the crime scene.– Matthew Estabillo, Nikko Dizon