By ANTHONY GIRON, with a report from PNA
DASMARIÑAS, Cavite – A teenage boy was killed in an apparent shootout with police who accosted him and his cousin for driving violations while traveling on board a motorcycle Sunday along Jose Abad Santos Avenue in this district.
A police report said that suspect Sean Christian Cotacte Martinez, 14, a Grade VIII student, died on the spot due to wounds in the body.
A policeman was reportedly wounded in the exchange of gunfire and is now recovering at the De La Salle University Medical Center in Dasmariñas.
Recovered from Martinez were an M1911AI .45 cal. pistol, its holster and a stainless holster with an inserted magazine and his red and black Honda XRM motorcycle without license plate.
Wounded was PO1 Leo Taguinod Tallud, a police community operative.
Tallud, who was hit in the right leg by a bullet coming from Martinez’s firearm, retaliated and was able to hit the suspect.
The fatality’s cousin, Mark Gerald Orquillas Martinez, 15, a Grade IX student, gave up without resistance to Tallud’s companion at that time, PO1 Abdul Samad Salazar Daud.
During a phone interview, the chief of Dasmariñas police investigation Chief Inspector Fermel V. de la Cruz said that Tallud was on patrol with Daud flagged down the Martinezes who on board the unlicensed motorcycle and its headlight off.
The suspect reportedly got off his motorcycle then randomly fired at policemen, leading to the fatal firefight.
Dela Cruz said the suspect was even being prodded by his cousin not to engage the cops, to no avail.
Initial investigation also revealed that Sean Christian had just bought the motorcycle recovered at the price of R2,000.
Meantime, five drug suspects, including a village councilman, were killed in the conduct of “One time, Big time” anti-drug raids the past two days in Cotabato City.
Senior Supt. Rolly Octavio, the city police chief, said joint operatives of the city police, the 5th Special Forces Battalion, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, and the Philippine Army’s 603rd Brigade, are serving 25 search warrants for drug suspects in Barangay Poblacion 3 here when a shootout erupted during the pre-dawn operation on Sunday.
Killed during Sunday’s 2 a.m. raid were drug suspects Ariel dela Cruz, Datukon Mamamdra, Zaldy Saptula, and Andong Guimlah.
Octavio identified two of the arrested individuals in the two-day sweep as Omar Butuan and a certain Barak.
The principal target of Sunday’s operation, identified as Torix Mamadra, managed to elude arrest.
Seized from the arrested and slain suspects were a still undetermined amount of shabu and several firearms.
On Saturday, lawmen also engaged and killed Sadat Gampong Ayunan, a village councilman of Barangay Kalanganan Mother, who was on the PDEA watch list order in this city, in a shootout.
Ayunan fired at the approaching police and PDEA agents, forcing the raiding team to return fire.