A FORMER New People’s Army (NPA) member and Davao City’s Number 1 Most Wanted Person was killed in a shootout with the authorities yesterday along Rosalina 3, Barangay Baliok, Talomo District.
Based on the police report of Davao City Police Office (DCPO) Director Police Colonel Alexander Tagum that at 10:25 a.m. on Sunday, personnel of Tugbok Police Station led by Police Major Ricky Abrigo Obenza and Presidential Anti-Organize Crime Commission (PAOCC) operatives led by Police Major Alvin Odas Senente served a warrant of arrest against the target person identified as Long-Long Clarion.
Clarion was facing a murder case with arrest warrant signed by Judge Evalyn M Arellano-Morales of Regional Trial Court (RTC) 11 of Branch 17, Davao City.
However, the operation resulted in an armed confrontation, which led to the killing of the suspect.
During the initial investigation, the suspect was further identified as alias JB, member of Pulang Bagani Command (PBC 1) of the NPA whose true name is Benjie Martos Clarion, around 25-30 years old, male, single and native of Sitio Battalion, Barangay New Carmen, Tugbok District.
“He was listed by this office as number 1 most wanted person,” Tagum said.
The operation was launched after the suspect was sighted in Talomo while acting as a sub-contractor of a housing company in Baliok.
Recovered from the crime scene were one .38 revolver with three cartridges and one fired cartridge case believed to be of caliber .38, one fired cartridge of believed to be 9mm, one improvised 9mm with engrave name Colt AR-15 with two steel magazine, and 15 9mm cartridge, six pieces small elongated plastic sachet suspected to be “shabu”, a piece of MK2 fragmentation hand grenade under the custody of Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD), and one back pack containing assorted clothes, and personal belongings of the suspect such as ID card.
Prior to the operation, the police conducted surveillance and monitoring against the suspect after the authorities received information about him in the area.