Wanted man killed in shootout

Police shot dead Central Visayas Most Wanted person after a two-minute shootout in a mountain barangay in Cebu City last Sunday night.

Rodrigo Labitad, who eluded police for two decades, died after he was hit in the chest when he tried to escape during the encounter.

Labitad was facing multiple murder charges and has carried a P300,000 bounty on his head.

information

Investigation showed that last Sunday police received information of Labitad’s whereabouts.

PO3 Ray Philip Alcazar and PO2 Crisostomo Bayato were ordered to verify if the report was true.

They had with them the arrest warrant issued by Regional Trial Court (RTC) Judge Teofilo Buslon Jr. of Branch 23 against Labitad.

At past  8 p.m., Alcazar and Bayato arrived in sitio Bocawe, barangay Pamutan and saw Labitad drinking with his neighbor, barangay councilor Clemente Rago.

Bayato approached Labitad while Alcazar stayed in a corner a few meters away from the house to back up Bayato if needed.

When Bayato introduced himself as a policeman, Labitad stood up and moved toward a room in the house while Rabo blocked Bayato’s path and asked him who he was.

shootout

When Labitad reached the door of the room, he saw Alcazar in the corner. At this point, he pulled out his gun and tried to shoot Alcazar. The gun jammed. Alcazar fired back  ending with Labitad bloodied on the ground with two gunshot wounds in the chest.

This was Labitad’s second encounter with police. The first incident happened last January. Labitad was wounded in that shootout but he escaped.

In the late 90s, Labitad was accused of killing his neighbors in Talisay City.

Chief Insp. Bonifacio Garciano, chief of the Investigation and Detective Management Branch of Cebu City, said they would investigate if Rago could be liable for harboring a criminal since he was aware that Labitad was facing murder charges.

Garciano, who is set to retire this Friday, said the informant would probably receive the P300,000 reward./Correspondent Chito O. Aragon