Cop dies in ambush

He was crawling from his motorcycle and reached the front of a pawnshop where he knelt almost unconscious. He was about to fire back when a guy wearing a hat with a green handkerchief covering his face fired several times until he died.”

That was how an 18-year-old cell phone shop employee described the last moments of SPO2 Roberto Canencia, a police officer who was shot to death  by gunmen in two motorobikes in Danao City yesterday noon.

The 53-year-old policeman had just attended a court hearing for a  drug case which had led to his arrest in 2011.

He was driving  home on his  motorbike when he  was attacked from the front and back.

He was shot two times in the chest and the back. The gunmen, who wore ski masks, sped away and disappeared.

Police said the attack took place 11:35 a.m. on  Pio del Pilar Street  in the poblacion about 50 to 100 meters from the Regional Trial Court.

SPO1 Rodrigo Roble, the investigators,  said they are verifying whether the killing was work related or due to a grudge or both.

He said establishments near the scene had  closed circuit TV (CCTV) cameras. He said police will ask to view the footage although a  power outage occurred minutes after the shooting.

Police investigators said Canencia collapsed in front of the Oro China Pawnshop in Pio del Pilar St., Poblacion, Danao City.

Canencia was a sharpshooter who usually acted as range officer during  police  marksmanship training.

But he failed to fire back at his assailants with  his 9mm gun.

“We picked it up from the ground where it fell,” said Roble.

Canencia was already dead when he was brought to Danao City Provincial Hospital.

His wife Lelisa said a man in a polo shirt approached her fish stall at the Danao City public market and asked where her husband was yesterday morning.

“He’s been asking about my husband four times last week. He asked for his number but I did not give him. I don’t really know the man but he was a friend of Berto  back when we were still living in Looc (Danao City),” she said.

SPO1 Roble confirmed that Canencia, a resident of barangay Sabang, was attending a hearing of his case yesterday regarding the 2011 raid that led to his arrest. He was out on bail.

The policeman was driving his black Rusi motorcycle  after leaving the courthouse. While driving along Pio del Pilar Street, two motorcycle-riding men blocked his way.

Another motorcycle with three men on board tailed him from behind.

Empty shells found on the ground indicated Canencia was shot with a .45 pistol.

A hot pursuit operation is being  led by Senior Supt. Ricky Delelis, Danao City police chief.

Canencia was relieved from his post in the Minglanilla police station last year after he was allegedly caught sniffing shabu in the house of a suspected drug queen in Danao City during a police raid in January 2011.

The target of the buy-bust operation were Marites Dalumpines, 38 and Jeshwani Tabla, 37. Canencia said he was just framed and that evidence was planted.

The raid was conducted by the Regional Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operation Task Group (Raidsotg) 7 led by PO3 Ricardo Baclayon Jr., in barangay Tuburan, Danao City.

Police recovered a .38 revolver, a fake KG9 automatic pistol and drug paraphernalia from Canencia, who was caught in the woman’s house.

Dalumpines, the alleged shabu queen, is detained in the Danao city jail.

Canencia, who is out on bail, was reassigned to the information desk of the Cebu Provincial Police Office in Cebu City.

It was his day off yesterday, said the deputy provincial director for administration. /Jhunnex Napallacan and Jessa  Jagua, Correspondents