CAMP VICENTE LIM, Laguna ,Philippines – Two persons, including a farm owner were killed yesterday morning while two others were wounded after shooting incidents in Barangay Batundalig in Kawit, Cavite, police said.
Cavite police director Senior Superintendent John Bulalacao, identified the fatalities as livestock farm owner Boy Evangelista and Joel Hernandez Manisi of Barangay Caut, La Paz, Tarlac.
The wounded victims were brothers Noel and Zaldy Bonifacio, of Lancaster Subdivision in Imus, Cavite, who both sustained gunshot wounds and were confined at the UMC Hospital in Dasmariñas, Cavite.
Bulalacao said that the shooting incident occurred at around 5:45 a.m. when Evangelista who was armed with an M16 rifle and a caliber .45 pistol went out of his house in Barangay Batundalig, Kawit, Cavite and fired at Manisi and the Bonifacio brothers who were on board a motorcycle that was parked in front of the farm owners house.
Manisi died on the spot while the Bonifacio brothers were wounded.
Evangelista later fired at responding police officers from a nearby Police Community Precinct (PCP) and a mobile patrol car.
Bulalacao said armed Evangelista later fled on foot towards a grassy area near his house.
The policemen and members of a local crisis management team tried to convince Evangelita to surrender but the suspect refused to yield.
Members of the Cavite police Special Weapon and Tactics (SWAT) unit conducted an assault operation and a shootout broke out between the law enforcers and Evangelista. The suspect was hit and was killed during the firefight.