Malabon toughie hurt in shootout

 A 35-year-old welder was critically wounded when he engaged the cops in a brief gun battle before midnight Tuesday in Malabon City.

John Consolacion, a resident of Letre Road, in Barangay Tonsuya and a known toughie in their area, is confined at the Tondo Medical Center due to two bullet wounds.

At around 11:30 p.m., Mario Bordios, 20, a resident of Paradise Village, Letre Road, Barangay Tonsuya, sought police assistance from the neighboring Barangay Catmon police, claiming that a gun-toting man created trouble in their area and also poked a gun at him.

The policemen, led by Police Officer 2 Renato Madia, accompanied by the complainant, went to Paradise Village to verify the complaint but as the lawmen approached the area, Consolacion fired upon them, triggering a brief firefight. The suspect yielded a Colt 1911 .45 caliber pistol.

Police Officer 2 Damaso Gayatao, of the Malabon City police investigation unit, said that they are still checking Consolacion’s background and how he came to possess a .45 caliber handgun.  – Pete Laude, Jerry Botial