A CAGAYAN de Oro policeman is now implicated in the killing of another cop early this year.

Probers recommended the filing of murder charges against Police Officer 2 Arturo Labrador and five other John Does in connection with the death of PO1 Ashley Villarico.

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Labrador, who is currently assigned at the Agora Police Precinct, was not available for comment.

Villarico, 35, was shot to death inside a karaoke bar that he partly owned near the Agora area last January 26. The gunman, who was wearing a mask, fled onboard a motorcycle.

A testimony of the lone witness who “positively” identified Labrador as the triggerman is the major basis in filing the complaint, said lawyer Justo Jose Yap, regional director of National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Western Mindanao.

“The witness, who said he was only three meters away from where the suspect’s motorcycle was parked, claimed the suspect pulled down his mask as he was stepping onto the motorcycle, enabling him to see the latter’s face,” Dir. Yap said.

Labrador allegedly pulled his mask back to conceal his face when he drove away from the crime scene.

Yap said the witness was able to recognize the policeman because the latter has been frequenting the place.

Villarico, who was detailed at the Lumbia Police Station, was killed inside the Sunrise videoke bar around 8 p.m. in front of five people—including the policeman’s business partner, Susan Impagutanan.

The bar’s employees said the victim was shot in the back while playing cards.

Yap said the “treacherous” manner of the killing prompted them to lodge a murder case.

Love triangle and illegal drugs are among the angles investigators are looking into on the motive of the killing. Yap also said they recommended the filing of murder case to the City Prosecutors Office Monday.

The victim’s wife, Arlene, had earlier told police that prior to the incident, her husband received a barrage of threatening text messages from another policeman whom he had a grudge with. The text messages allegedly contained incriminating evidence against the unnamed police officer.

It was not immediately known whether Labrador is the same police officer who purportedly sent the threatening messages.

A check at the People’s Law Enforcement Board (Pleb) showed that Villarico was facing several complaints related to his police duties.

The latest case lodged against him was an administrative complaint from a traffic enforcer, Councilor Ian Mark Nacaya said earlier.

Nacaya, who heads the PLEB, was unable to provide more details on Villarico's cases as the police officer died before he could answer the complaints. (ALR)