BACOLOD CITY — Two robbery suspects were killed in a shootout with policemen in Barangay Sum-ag here late Friday afternoon after they held up a delivery van in the neighboring city of Bago.
In a media interview on Saturday, Bago City police’s deputy chief for administration, Senior Insp. Hercules Trigue Jr., identified the fatalities as Ryan Alib, 24, and Armelle Espadon, 30, both residents of Sitio Antawan, Barangay Canlandog, Murcia town.
A third fatality was identified as Delfin Ortiz, 70, a pedicab driver who was hit by a stray bullet.
At about 4:30 p.m., the two robbers died during an exchange of gunfire with members of the Bacolod City Mobile Force Company Special Weapons and Tactics team in front of the Sum-ag National High School along the Sum-ag-Abuanan Road near the boundary of Bacolod and Bago.
Three bystanders were wounded — the teenage daughter of Isabela Mayor Joselito Malabor, as well as Estrella Claridad and Walter Dojena.
Trigue said the two suspects, who were on board a motorcycle, waylaid a delivery van of the cigarette firm along Barangay Taloc.
They took from driver Ruben Coylo, 38, of Barangay Felisa, Bacolod, and collection agent Christopher Gapay, 32, of Barangay 7, Bacolod, cash amounting to PHP39,460. The two are employees of Japan Tobacco International.
However, Coylo later admitted in the investigation that the robbery was an “inside job” and he connived with the robbers. Coylo claimed the two blackmailed him, Trigue added.
Trigue said they will file a robbery case against Coylo, who is detained at the Bago City Police station.
Senior Supt. Francisco Ebreo, acting director of the Bacolod City Police, said in an interview on Friday night there was a connivance between Coylo and the robbers after investigators found an exchange of text messages between him and one of the suspects.
The police recovered the mobile phones of Coylo and of one of the suspects.
Police investigators recovered two .38-caliber revolvers, six bullet shells of .9mm caliber, 15 bullet shells of an M16 rifle, and two other slugs, along with the suspects’ motorcycle and the PHP39,460 stolen cash. (Nanette Guadalquiver/PNA)
