Manila cops shoot 4 dead on Easter

Four men earlier tagged in a shooting incident in Manila Saturday night were killed while a village watchman was critically wounded in pursuit operations conducted by the police on Easter Sunday.

Senior Police Officer 1 Mario Asilo of the Manila Police District homicide section identified the slain suspects as Atto Muhammad, 36, a native of Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao province; Alvin Pilas, 19, construction worker; and brothers Nasid San Datu, 25, and Ontok San Datu, 21, both residents of Baseco Compound in Tondo.

The four men were gunned down by the police who chased them down the alleys of Block 8 Extension in Baseco, Asilo said.

Senior Superintendent Ronald Estilles, MPD deputy district director for operations, said the four were suspects in a shooting incident in Baseco on Saturday night that wounded Jun Sarsosa, 38, a construction worker, and two boys aged 10 and 8.

“The police conducted a follow-up operation and an encounter ensued when the suspects resisted,” Estilles said.

Baseco police community precinct head Chief Inspector Nicholas Piñon said the suspects had a grudge with Sarsosa, who was the target of Saturday’s shooting. The two boys were just bystanders hit by stray bullets.

Sarsosa and the two minors were treated in a hospital, with the 10-year-old boy already discharged as of Sunday, Piñon said.

Junrey Cabual, a ‘’tanod” or watchman of Barangay 649 who took part in the operation, was hit in the stomach and was still in critical condition,  according to barangay chair Kristo Hispano.

The MPD said two cal. .45 and two cal. .38 pistols, a sachet of “shabu” and drug paraphernalia were recovered from the suspects.

“Based on the information (received by barangay officials), they were the suspects in the shooting incident. They were not permanent residents there. Considering the unauthorized guns and illegal drugs in their possession, they are notorious criminals,” Hispano said.