BY CYRUS GARDE AND MAE SINGUAY
BACOLOD City – A rape suspect was killed by policemen who were tasked to serve his arrest warrant early yesterday morning.
Resident Ricar Loberas died of multiple gunshot wounds in Barangay Tampalon, Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental.
According to Kabankalan City police station chief Lieutenant Colonel Mary Rose Pico, Loberas fought back, leaving her men with no other option but shoot the fugitive.
Loberas’ arrest warrant was issued by Judge Rodney Magbanua of the Regional Trial Court Branch 61 in Kabankalan City.
Pico said he had been imprisoned from the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa. Upon his release, Loberas reportedly assembled a criminal group operating in Negros Occidental.
The suspect was also involved in the kidnapping of a woman, whom police have requested not to identify. The woman was only released after the victim’s family agreed to pay an unknown amount of ransom money being asked by Loberas.
Police investigators recovered from the crime scene were a .9-mm pistol with live bullets and four empty shells; a magazine of a .9-mm gun; a .38-caliber revolver with three live bullets and three empty shells; an improvised tooter; and two sachets of suspected shabu./PN
