Friday, November 07, 2008
Paraffin test result proves shootout
A POSITIVE gunpowder test result on the three slain motorcycle riders proves there was a shootout between the three and the police, Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) Director Patrocinio Comendador said yesterday.
The result, he said, will be used as evidence in an investigation or in case the families of the three men decide to pursue a complaint against the CCPO-Task Force Motorsiklo.
Comendador maintained that last Sunday’s shootout was legitimate and the rules of engagement were followed.
All three men were shot dead late Sunday afternoon, as the police was wrapping up security operations for All Souls’ Day.
The driver of the black Honda motorcycle was identified as Abran Gabutan Gabato, 28, of Barangay Guadalupe, Cebu City, while his two passengers were Werner Gabucan Ponce, 31, alias “Botong” of Sitio Nareja, Lower Kalunasan, and Renato Pig-iwayan, 29, of Sitio Caimitohan, Sapangdaku.
Ponce had been jailed thrice at the city jail for murder and drug-related cases, while Gabato had been detained at the Guadalupe Police Station for allegedly causing trouble in the neighborhood whenever he was drunk.
Comendador explained that the task force members, led by Supt. Pablo Labra II and Senior Insp. George Ylanan, were fired upon first by the motorists, and that this triggered the shootout.
“The lesson learned here is: follow the law and live a good life,” Comendador said. (JTG)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (November 7, 2008 issue)
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