OFW rob-slay suspect killed in escape bid

MANILA, Philippines - The alleged gunman in the rob-slay of a seaman was shot dead after he reportedly snatched the service firearm of one of his police escorts in a police vehicle in Ermita, Manila Wednesday afternoon.

Police rushed Ronald Sevilla, 26, alias “Bunso,” to the Philippine General Hospital but he died while undergoing treatment for two gunshot wounds in the head.

According to Chief Inspector Erwin Margarejo, who heads the homicide section of the Manila Police District (MPD), Sevilla was brought to the Manila prosecutors’ office at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday for inquest on charges of robbery with homicide for the death of 49-year-old Edralin Amon, a third mate seaman of a foreign-based company.

Sevilla was escorted by homicide investigators Police Officer 3 Jonathan Ruiz and POs2 Erwin Castro and Gerry Amores.

Following his inquest, Sevilla was supposed to be brought back to the MPD headquarters in a police vehicle and escorted by the three policemen. Amores was the designated driver, with Ruiz sitting beside him. Sevilla occupied the passenger seat with Castro by his side.

Margarejo said while the police vehicle was traversing the stretch of San Marcelino street in Ermita, Sevilla leaned against Castro and grabbed his service firearm. Castro tried to grapple for possession, at the same time shouting at his colleagues for assistance. Seeing that Sevilla was already in possession of Castro’s gun and his colleague’s life was in danger, Ruiz drew his gun and fired two shots, hitting the suspect in the head.

Ruiz surrendered his service firearm to the MPD’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit, which is conducting an inquiry into the incident.

Two witnesses identified Sevilla in a police lineup as one of two men they saw casing Amon shortly before he was killed. Police said the suspects later put on full-face helmets, rode in tandem on a motorcycle and drove towards Amon. The two men pulled out their guns and snatched Amon’s gold necklace. The gunman, later identified as Sevilla, then shot the victim and also took his gold bracelet, before fleeing on the motorcycle driven by his cohort.

Sevilla was identified through footage taken by a closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera that caught on tape the entire incident.

A review of the footage from the CCTV camera installed at the main gate of the Marian Townhouse showed the faces of the two suspects while apparently casing the area. 

A third witness, who claimed to be the widow of Jomel Rentoria, who was killed by a police officer during a robbery attempt on a wealthy student along Quirino Avenue last April 17, identified Sevilla as the companion of her slain husband and the driver of the getaway motorcycle.

The widow told police that Sevilla frequently asked her husband to join him in his robbery attempts. However, the wife said she became angry at Sevilla after she learned that he left her husband and allowed him to die.

Margarejo showed reporters a warrant of arrest for Sevilla issued by Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 29 Judge Cielito Mindaro-Grulla for robbery.

“These are just the cases reported to police, how about those whose victims did not bother to complain? We were informed that Sevilla was a recidivist criminal and a terror on the streets,” Margarejo said.  

Sevilla also admitted to The STAR in an interview at his detention cell his involvement in robbery and snatching cases, but claimed he did it when he was a teenager. He vowed to get back at the people for his arrest.

Police said Sevilla glared at the people who visited him, and advised journalists who covered his arrest “not to get too close” to the bars of his cell.