Tanod slain in shootout w/ police

ILOILO CITY, Philippines —A barangay tanod (village watchman) was killed during a shootout with policemen Tuesday evening at Oton town in Iloilo.

Amado Granada, 46, of Barangay Botong, Oton, was declared dead on arrival at Western Visayas Medical Center in Iloilo City.

Passengers of a jeepney, plying the Oton-Iloilo City route, claimed that at 9:05 a.m. while navigating at the village, Granada accosted fellow  passenger Edgar Sariego, 40, a native of Barangay Trapiche in Oton.

They said that, during the confrontation, Granada pulled a handgun and the two grappled for possession of the gun until it went off, hitting Sariego on the left arm.

Oton Police Station said it received a call about the incident at around 9:15 p.m. Policemen responded and caught up with Granada at the nearby Barangay Botong.

The responding policemen, after identifying themselves, ordered Granada to surrender, but the latter fired at them instead. This prompted one of the policemen to return fire, hitting the tanod on the leg.

Granada fell but allegedly showed to sign of yielding to the authorities, as he tried to fire his gun again, causing the policemen to shoot him again.

After the incident, Sariego said the tanod, during the confrontation, seemed to have been jealous over someone, but he said he did not know why the tanod was mad at him.

Police later recovered from Granada’s possession a .38-caliber revolver with fired empty shell inside its cylinder and a hand grenade. —(FREEMAN)