Ex-barangay chairman of Cebu town dead in Negros Occidental shootout

BACOLOD CITY –– A former barangay chairman of Lugo in Borbon town, Cebu was killed in what police said was a shootout in Barangay Minoyan, Murcia town, Negros Occidental at 7:30 a.m. on Monday.

Jinnefer Mercader, 43, suffered gunshot wounds on the body.

Police Lt. John Paul Tabujara, Murcia police officer-in-charge, said Mercader was a “high-value target,” who escaped from the Medellin District Jail on March 5, 2019.

Seized from Mercader were a .45 caliber pistol, a 12-gauge shotgun, and P400,000 worth of suspected shabu.

Tabujara said law enforcers asked Mercader, who was living alone in the middle of a gamefowl farm, to surrender.

However, Mercader allegedly fired at them, prompting the policemen to fight back.

Mercader, who was linked to illegal drugs, was arrested on Sept. 2, 2017, for illegal possession of firearms and illegal drugs in Borbon, Cebu.

Two years later, he escaped from his jail escorts while attending a court hearing in Medellin town, Cebu.

The police and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency conducted the manhunt operation against Mercader.

Col. Henry Binas, director of the Bacolod City Police Office, earlier said Mercader was involved in gun-for-hire and illegal drugs.