Two suspected drug pushers were killed early Friday morning in a buy-bust operation by the Manila police, who maintained that its officers acted “in self-defense.”
Joel Mata and Antonio Tamboboy were both shot in the chest by members of Manila Police District’s (MPD) Moriones station, who conducted the operation around 3 a.m. at the corner of Ilaya and Padre Herrera streets in Barangay 3, Tondo.
In a report by case investigator SPO4 Glenzor Vallejo of MPD homicide section, PO1 Emerson Policarpio, then going undercover, managed to buy P900 worth of “shabu” from the suspects.
But upon “sensing that they were dealing with police decoy,” Mata fired a pistol at Policarpio, who managed to run away unhurt.
A backup team composed of PO3 Ferdinand Concon, PO2 Ronel Siriban and PO2 Xyz Estillero engaged Mata in a shootout.
The three officers then chased and cornered Tamboboy at a stall in the public market.
Vallejo reported that “instead of giving up peacefully, [Tamboboy] fired at the lawmen who tried to arrest him.” Another shootout ensued and left Tamboboy seriously wounded.
The MPD report said both suspects “still had signs of life” when brought to Gat. Andres Bonifacio Memorial Medical Center, but that they later died while undergoing treatment.
Five sachets of shabu, the P900 marked money, and loaded .45-caliber and .38-caliber pistols were recovered from the suspects, the MPD said.
On May 20, a member of MPD-Moriones station was killed while a colleague was wounded in an antidrug operation on Matanos Street, also in Tondo.