TWO robbers were killed while another was injured after they resisted arrest at Barangay Cabacungan, La Castellana, Negros Occidental Wednesday afternoon, April 25.
Killed were Edgar Recana, 27, of General Santos City; and Je ar Santa Ana, 30, of Moises Padilla town.
Also wounded was Garnel Solebaga, 26, of Davao Oriental.
Chief Inspector Irma Teoxon, town police chief, said the three suspects robbed Raul De Loyola while he was collecting sales in the village around 2 p.m.
The robbers carted away the sales collection amounting to P200,000 and left the victim unharmed.
De Loyola was able to call for police assistance from the Negros Occidental Provincial Maneuver Force Company (NOPMFC) who was conducting intelligence monitoring in the area at that time.
Two police officers from the NOPMFC responded to the report and engaged in a shootout with the suspects on a motorcycle during a brief chase.
All suspects sustained gunshot wounds and were rushed to a hospital, where Recana and Santa Ana later died.
Solebaga was transferred to Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital in Bacolod City.
Police recovered from the scene the suspects' two .45 caliber pistols and the stolen cash.
Teoxon said the suspects were identified as responsible in the series of robbery hold-up incidents in the town and nearby municipalities like Moises Padilla. They are targeting collectors of lending firms.
Robbery hold-up charges will be filed against Solebaga, who is now under hospital arrest.
Teoxon said they are still investigating the previous records of the suspects to determine if they were part of an organized robbery crime group operating in the province since two of them were not from here. (GYM)