DAVAO CITY – Police shot dead a suspect in the rape and killing of a six-year-old girl during the Oplan Galugad held at the Talomo detention facility here on Tuesday morning.
Davao City Police Office (DCPO) spokesperson, Senior Insp. Maria Theresita Gaspan, said suspect Rico Jay Lauron Labao tried to grab the firearm of PO1 Reggie Eleazo during a jail inspection at about 9:15 a.m.
Labao had been detained at the Talomo police station since Sept. 24 for a case of rape and homicide.
Police said Eleazo’s firearm went off during the scuffle with the suspect. A bullet ricocheted off the wall and nearly hit SPO3 Richard Dionisio, the station’s chief investigator.
Dionisio said he shot Labao who managed to briefly take possession of his colleague’s firearm before the latter could use the gun.
Labao was declared dead on arrival at the Adventist Hospital in Bangkal.
On Sept. 24, Labao reported to the police to have found the body of the victim who was strangled and tied with wire in a grassy portion in Matina Pangi, a week after she was reported missing by her parents.
Police, however, found inconsistencies in Labao’s testimonies. Investigators said they later discovered pieces of evidence inside Labao’s residence, such as wires similar to the one used to strangle the child. (Lilian Mellejor/PNA)
