ANOTHER police officer was shot dead around 7 p.m. Wednesday, January 20, in Balangiao, Barangay Camaman-an in Cagayan de Oro City by unidentified riding-in-tandem gunmen.

The policeman was identified as Police Corporal El John Capawa, 30, who was assigned at the Regional Personnel Holding and Accounting Unit (RPHAU) of the Police Regional Office (PRO)-Northern Mindanao.

According to Cagayan de Oro Police Office (Cocpo) spokesperson Major Evan Viñas, Capawa was on his way home when he was shot.

Capawa, Viñas said, was previously assigned in Cocpo and Police Station 9 Macasandig, then to the special unit of the City Drug Enforcement Unit (CDEU).

"Bag-ohay pa lang na assign sya sa Camp Alagar, then nahitabo didto sya sa holding unit didto na sya ga-render og duty," Viñas said.

The Cocpo spokesperson added that Capawa has a sibling who was the number 6 on the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency’s (PDEA) watchlist and was apprehended during the last quarter of 2020 by Police Station 8 Lumbia.

Viñas said Capawa was part of the special unit of the CDEU at that time.

"Siguro usa pud na nga makonsider nga maabrihan nga angulo, parte usab sa iyang personal life ug profession," Viñas said.

He added that Cocpo Chief Colonel Henry Dampal has instructed the station commander of Police Station 2 to broaden their investigation to derive a concrete motive for the death of Capawa.

"Giabrihan tanang angulo niini sa iyang personal life ug sa iyang profession ug sa iyang neighborhood," Viñas said.

Last month, a policeman assigned in RPHAU was also shot to death along the highway in Barangay Lapasan, Cagayan de Oro.

The officer was Patrolman Roy Aguas, who was shot around 4:30 p.m. of December 26, 2020 while he was on board his motorcycle.