Cop, 4 crime gang men slain in Davao shootout

ZAMBOANGA CITY — Suspected criminals opened fire on policemen out to serve an arrest warrant, sparking a gunbattle that killed all four gunmen and a police officer in Tagum City, Davao del Norte last Wednesday, police said.

The police were to serve the warrant for one of the men who had been accused of robberies, killings and drug trafficking, when he and his three unidentified companions fired at the police officers, Chief Superintendent Antonio Billones said.

All four men, who were armed with pistols and a grenade, were killed, along with the police officer.

The police found marijuana and an unlicensed motorcycle in the gunmen’s hideout, he said.

The four men belonged to a crime gang whose other members were being hunted, Billones said. — Roel Pareño, AP