Cop, 2 rob suspects slain in shootout

A policeman was killed when he shot it out with two robbery suspects who also died after the gun battle yesterday afternoon in Fairview, Quezon City.

Police Officer 1 Voltaire Benhur Busway, 26, who was assigned with the Aviation Security Group, died of gunshot wounds in the chest.

Quezon City Police District (QCPD) chief Senior Superintendent Magtanggol Gatdula identified the two slain suspects as Rustan Lorono of Las Piñas and Ramiro Reyes of Tanay, Rizal, who were identified through identification cards found on them.

Though the slain policeman shot it out with the suspects, Superintendent Franklin Moises Mabanag, chief of the QCPD-Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit, said the body of one of the suspects was riddled with stab wounds.

Superintendent Raymundo Equibal, commander of the QCPD-Station 5, said the incident happened near Busway’s house on Republic Avenue in Barangay Greater Fairview.

Busway was getting off his motorcycle at around 1:15 p.m. when he noticed the two suspects frisking Indian national Satnam Singh, a money lender, Equibal told The STAR in an interview.

QCPD-Station 5 desk officer PO1 Jun Cabatan said the two suspects, who were wearing shirts with police markings, posed as policemen to rob Singh of his money.

When Busway saw what was happening, he tried to accost the suspects. One of them shot at Busway, who fired back.

As Busway fell, the two suspects were still able to run 60 to 70 meters away from the crime scene before they eventually fell and died, Equibal said.

Equibal explained this was because the police used his .9mm service firearm to shoot the suspects and this type of bullet takes about two to three minutes to have an effect on the one who was shot.

However, Mabanag suspects some residents “ganged up” on one of the suspects, as shown by the stab wounds in his body. Mabanag said it was still not clear whether the suspect was also shot by Busway.

There were reports that a third suspect, now the subject of a police manhunt, was on a motorcycle and took his slain companion’s .45 caliber pistols and an undetermined amount of cash divested from Singh before escaping towards Commonwealth Avenue.

But Mabanag said it could be that the ones who reportedly ganged up on one of the slain suspects were the ones who took away the firearms.

Neighbors and witnesses brought Busway to the FEU Hospital, where he died while undergoing treatment. Cabatan said Singh was unhurt.