Lawyer, 2 cops shot dead

Two Manila policemen were killed in a shootout with motorcycle-riding armed men who had just robbed and slain a lawyer who withdrew P1 million from a nearby bank in Paco yesterday morning.

The latest in a series of bank client robberies came a day after Metro Manila police chief declared that the number of such heists was not yet alarming.

At least three bank client robberies were recorded last week: robbers took P2.1 million from a victim in Parañaque City, killed a 50-year-old messenger over P65,000 in Manila, and grabbed P400,000 from a couple in Marikina City. All of the victims had withdrawn money from a Metrobank branch minutes before they were robbed.

The slain policemen were identified as Senior Police Officer 3 Francisco Neri and PO3 Jose Ismael Santos, both of the Ermita police station.

Chief Inspector Dominador Arevalo Jr., chief of the homicide section of the Manila Police District, said at least six men on two motorcycles blocked the Honda CRV (ZJA-847) driven by lawyer Alfred Dy at the corner of Pedro Gil and Merced streets in Malate past 10 a.m.

Dy reportedly had just withdrawn P1 million from a Banco de Oro branch on A. Linao street. One of the suspects repeatedly fired at Dy, while another smashed the car’s window with a hammer. After getting Dy’s black bag, which reportedly contained the P1 million, the suspects fled while firing shots into the air.

The shots alerted Santos, who was then on patrol. Neri, who was off duty at the time, backed Santos up. The two lawmen rushed to the scene and encountered the fleeing suspects. Witnesses said the two policemen hesitated at first to fire at the suspects since they were in a crowded area.

The suspects fired several shots and hit Neri, who died on the spot. Santos fired back, hitting one of the fleeing suspects in the right side of the body. Santos died while undergoing treatment at the Ospital ng Maynila.

Dy expired at the Makati Medical Center while being treated for multiple bullet wounds.

Bystanders Arturo Ferrer, 65, and Riza Aquino were treated for gunshot wounds at the Ospital ng Maynila.

The suspects’ getaway motorcycles, a TMX Honda (TB-3108) and a scooter, were later found abandoned at the corner of Anakbayan and Quirino streets in Paco. Bloodstains were noted on the TMX Honda, indicating that one of the suspects sustained an injury.

Land Transportation Office records showed the motorcycles were registered in Cavite.

MPD director Chief Superintendent Roberto Rosales immediately ordered his men to fan out to different hospitals in Manila and nearby cities in an effort to catch the wounded suspect. Artist’s sketches of two of the suspects were also released to the media yesterday.

He commended the slain policemen as heroes for giving up their lives in the line of their duty.