A FORMER security guard wanted for murder in Las Piñas City in National Capital Region was killed in a shootout with policemen at Cadiz City Friday morning.

Police identified the fatality as Ericson Blaquio, 36.

Blaquio gunned down American diver Matthew Caldwell, 59, at the gates of the Hamilton Heights Subdivision on August 2013.

Caldwell is the diver who helped the Philippine Coast Guard retrieve the body of late Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo whose plane crashed into the sea off Masbate in August 2012.

The suspect was killed after he engaged in a shootout with operatives of the Regional Intelligence Unit - Western Visayas and Cadiz City Police Station.

Senior Police Officer 1 Joshua Barile, team leader of RIU-Western Visayas, said about 7 a.m. they attempted to serve the arrest warrant of Blaquio, but the latter tried to evade arrest and fired at the policemen several times.

The operatives shot Balquio, but he still managed to run towards a creek.

Barile said Blaquio fell beside the creek and was rushed to the Cadiz City Health Center, where he was declared dead.

Police recovered from Blaquio’s possession a .357 caliber, grenade, improvised firearm, and two live ammunition of 12-gauge shotgun.