CEBU CITY – A drug suspect was killed in a gunfight with police on Friday, a day after he escaped while under hospital arrest here.
Mark Muralde, 41, allegedly fought back when police tried to arrest him in Barangay Maya, Daanbantayan town, northern Cebu.
The man was arrested last December 16 when police found packs of illegal drugs during the serving of a search warrant in his home in Barangay Pasil, Cebu City.
Police said the man suffered a heart attack while in detention and was brought to the Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC).
The man had been confined at CCMC for three weeks until he escaped last Thursday, January 21.
Police said the man, accompanied by his wife, found a chance to escape when the police escort answered the call of nature.
On Friday dawn, operatives of the Sawang Police Station in Cebu City and Daanbantayan police received a tip that the man was hiding in his cousin’s house in Daanbantayan.
According to Police Capt. Ian Macatangay, chief of the Daanbantayan police, a shootout occurred when the escapee fired shots at the pursuing police using a .357 revolver.
Police also arrested the man’s wife for her role in the escape. (Calvin D. Cordova)
