BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL G. BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – Two gunrunning suspects and a police officer were wounded in a shootout at the front gate of Villa Socorro Subdivision, Phase 2, Circumferential Road, Barangay Taculing around 11:10 a.m. yesterday.
The suspects were 44-year-old Michael Bintoroso of Barangay Codcod, San Carlos City, Negros Occidental and 33-year-old Alex Vilegas of Barangay Pahanocoy here.
Police Corporal Rey Sivestre of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG)-Bacolod sustained a gunshot wound on a hand.
Both suspects and Sivestre were brought to the Bacolod Doctors’ Hospital for treatment.
According to Police Major Chris Artemios Debaras of CIDG-Bacolod, the suspects sold an unlicensed .45 caliber pistol to a police poseur buyer for P17,000 inside a white sport utility vehicle (SUV).
However, Bintoroso presumably found out they were transacting with undercover cops and they immediately opened fire at the CIDG-Bacolod operatives inside the SUV.
Debaras said initial shots hit Sivestre. The other cops fought back and fired at the suspects.
Police recovered .9mm Glock pistol, .45 ARMSCOR pistol, three pistol magazines, mobile phone, and P17,000 in buy-bust money at the crime scene.
As of this writing, CIDG-Bacolod was conducting a background check on the suspects./PN
