The suspect, PO3 Ricardo Lucero, 32, desk officer of the Police Community Precinct 1 (PCP 1) of the Mandaluyong City police surrendered to his superiors after shooting SPO4 Pedro Ilao, of the Traffic Management Group of Batangas City at 2 a.m. yesterday. Ilao, 51, of Lazareto St., Calapan, Oriental Mindoro, sustained two gunshot wounds in the chest and is now fighting for his life at the Mandaluyong City Medical Center.
Ilao’s live-in partner, Helen Agan-de Castro, 42, of 324 Sampaguita St., Wonderland Townhouse, J.P. Rizal, Barangay Namayan died while being operated on at the Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, where she sustained four gunshot wounds.
Initial reports showed that Ilao arrived at the house of De Castro early yesterday morning, but instead of hugging Ilao, De Castro allegedly started shouting at him.
Police prober SPO2 Bayani Prianes said De Castro was mad because Ilao would only visit her when he wanted to.
Alarmed by the duo’s shouting match, De Castro’s neighbors called for police assistance wherein Lucero, PO2s Roberto Capua and Allan Perlas arrived. The responding policemen brought Ilao and De Castro to the PCP 1 headquarters located near the Kalentong market.
PO3 Lucero was behind his desk recording the incident on the police blotter while De Castro continued nagging Ilao. De Castro was accusing Ilao of carrying an affair with another woman in Batangas City. At first Ilao tried to control himself by not entertaining De Castro’s tirade.
Lucero then asked Ilao, who was seated in front of his desk opposite De Castro, for his identification card. Ilao stood up but instead of reaching for his wallet, he pulled out his service firearm, a caliber .45 automatic pistol and opened fire at De Castro at close range.
The startled Lucero took out his .9mm automatic pistol and opened fire at Ilao, who also returned fire. The desk officer stopped firing his gun upon seeing the bloodied Ilao fall to the ground.
De Castro was rushed to the hospital by her relatives who accompanied her to the police precinct. Lucero brought Ilao to a nearby hospital.
Police recovered five spent shells from a .9mm pistol and six spent shells from a caliber .45 pistol at the crime scene.