Police asset gunned down

A man believed to be a police asset was shot dead inside his vehicle by two unidentified men the other night on Roxas Boulevard in Pasay City.

Elmo Ranola, 36, an asset of Western Police District (WPD) and resident of Dasmariñas, Cavite, was found slumped on the steering wheel of his Mitsubishi L-300 van (UFP-989) at 10:45 p.m.

Scene of the Crime Operations officers of the Southern Police District said the victim was shot in the head witha caliber .45 handgun. The bullet hit him in the cheek and exited through his nape.

Responding policemen initially thought Ranola was a colleague after they recovered a police ID issued by WPD homicide section.

However, Superintendent Rolly Miranda, WPD Station 8 commander, arrived at the scene and clarified that the victim was an asset and not a policeman.

Initial investigation showed that witnesses heard a gunshot and saw two men running away from Ranola’s van, which was on the southbound lane of Roxas Boulevard near Baclaran.

SPO 1 Antonio Canoy, of the Station Investigation Unit, said the mini electric fan at the back of the van was still running, which could indicate that his passengers were actually his killers. – Edu Punay