Police pass by the bullet-riddled vehicle of suspected criminals along a road in the town of Atimonan in Quezon province, about 140 kilometers (100 miles) southeast of Manila, Philippines late Sunday Jan. 7, 2013. Philippine army special forces and police killed 13 suspected criminals in a gunbattle Sunday in the latest violence to erupt in the country in the past week. AP/Aaron Favila
MANILA, Philippines – Authorities could not confirm yet if the police officer killed in a shootout in Atimonan, Quezon Sunday afternoon was part of the suspected gun-for hire gang, whose members were also killed in the encounter.
Chief Superintendent James Melad, regional police director in Calabarzon, told Radyo Inquirer 990AM that they have no “inkling” yet if Superintendent Alfredo Perez Consemino was part of the group killed in the shootout or whether or not he was involved in any criminal activity.
Melad said Consemino was a group director at the Mimaropa regional police.
“Hindi alam ng tropa na nandoon si Consemino. Basta yung grupo na yan involved in certain criminal activities, ang sabi pa gun-for-hire,” he said during the interview.
“Hindi ko nga alam kung bakit nadoon si Consemino. Doon lang namin nalaman… na si Supt. Consemino pala yun. Wala pang inkling na sya ay kasama sa grupo,” he further said.
Melad said they have no information yet about the slain officer but said, “The thing is, nandoon sya at the time na nagkaroon ng engkwentro.”
He maintained that the suspects were the first to fire at the law enforcers when they refused to submit to a checkpoint by the police.
The police retaliated, killing 13 persons, including Consemino.