A SUPPOSED drug bust turned into an armed encounter after authorities killed their target whom they claimed to have violently resisted arrest and fought back (nanlaban) with the police operatives in Gusa, Cagayan de Oro City, Friday, October 19.
Killed was Wilmark Maestre, 24, resident of St. John Puntod, this city.
Police claimed that the drug suspect was the first to pull out his gun and shot the undercover policeman after sensing that he was making transactions with a law enforcer.
The undercover cop was not hit but the incident forced the back-up operatives to retaliate and shoot the suspect.
The suspect sustained gunshot wounds and was rushed to Northern Mindanao Medical Center but did not make it alive.
Authorities recovered the suspect's 38 caliber revolver and suspected illegal drug items.
Police said the suspect was figured in the drug watch list of the directorate for Intelligence in the PNP national headquarters.
The suspect was the seventh drug personality killed in police operation in the last two quarters of this year.
The police internal affairs service will conduct an investigation to check whether the operating team followed the police procedure.