URDANETA CITY -- Two suspected members of a Private Armed Group (PAG) were killed in an encounter with law enforcers along Perez Street at Poblacion, this city, Wednesday morning.
Police Provincial Director Percival Barba identified one of the two fatalities as John Ray Andres, who had a standing warrant of arrest.
According to Barba, the two suspects are allegedly with the Almeron-Andres criminal gang.
Combined elements of the Provincial Public Safety Management Company (PPSMC, formerly Provincial Mobile Group) based in Tayug, Provincial Intelligence Branch, Criminal Investigation and Detection Team (CIDT)-Satellite Urdaneta City, 3rd Coy Regional Mobile Group and Urdaneta City Police Station were then implementing a warrant of arrest against Andres.
Barba said a shootout erupted when the suspects resisted arrest and fired shots instead against the law enforcers.
Recovered from the suspects were a caliber .35 revolver and a hand grenade.
Barba said that based on the background investigation conducted, Andres was involved in the killing of two caretakers of San Manuel Mayor Leoncio Zaldivar III sometime in 2007; killing of one Samuel Ortillano alias Amay Bisaya in Urdaneta City; killing of an assessor in Asingan town; shooting and wounding of Herbie Zaragoza and killing of Sonny Rimas both of Tayug town.
The two were brought to the Don Amadeo Perez Sr. Memorial General Hospital here but were declared dead on arrival by the attending physician.
The police are conducting further background investigation on the two fatalities and their group.