Cop killing suspect falls

CEBU, Philippines -  A man accused of shooting a policeman dead was arrested in Barangay Gun-ob, Lapu-Lapu City on Thursday.

Virgilio Franco Jr., 53, a resident of Barangay Buaya, was identified as the one who killed Police Officer 1 Romel Gilig of the Lapu-Lapu City Police Office last December 3, said LLCPO acting chief Senior Superintendent Armando Radoc.

Radoc said a concerned citizen called up the police and reported a man, who later turned out to be Franco, allegedly armed with a gun near an establishment along a road.

Policemen arrived in the area and found Franco sitting on a motorcycle. When he saw the police approaching, he jumped off from the motorcycle and threw a black bag in an attempt to escape.

But he was eventually apprehended and police confiscated from a photo of Gilig and his wife printed on a bond paper with a sketch of his residence at the back of the paper. The black bag also contained a cal. 357 revolver, ammunition, a grenade, and a mobile phone.

The police called up Gilig's mechanic, Mark Lomongsod, 24, who identified Franco as the same person who he saw standing near the motor parts shop owned by Gilig on the day the policeman was killed.

Gilig was fixing his motorcycle in front of his shop last December 3 when he was shot in the neck and died.

The suspect denied the accusation. The police will file a case for illegal possession of firearms against Franco while the victim's family will file a murder case against him on Monday, after Gilig's burial.  (FREEMAN)