Lawyer shot dead by cop in Antique

ILOILO CITY – A lawyer related to former assemblyman Arturo Pacificador was shot dead allegedly by a policeman in Hamtic town in Antique Saturday morning, police said.

John Mark Espera, 39, was pronounced dead from gunshot wounds on arrival at the Angel Salazar Memorial General Hospital in the capital town of San Jose, according to initial police reports.

Inspector Henry Luna, Hamtic police chief, said Espera was shot about 11:30 a.m. in Barangay (village) Pu-ao in Hamtic, about 12 kilometers from San Jose.

The alleged gunman, Police Officer 3 Jose Suarez, who is assigned to the Tobias Fornier police office, surrendered to the police after the shooting. He is now detained at the Antique Provincial Police Office in San Jose.

Police were still looking for the policeman’s younger brother Rico and his cousin who were both believed also involved in the killing.

Investigators were still trying to determine the motive for the killing and circumstances around it.

The shooting happened 20 meters from Suarez’s residence and police recovered empty shells from several firearms, according to Luna.