Alleged hitman slain by cops in Laguna

INQUIRER FILE

SAN PEDRO CITY — An alleged gun-for-hire and member of a gunrunning syndicate was killed by police in San Pablo City in Laguna province early Thursday.

Police said Ryan de Guzman was a member of the Paz gun-for-hire group.

Supt. Vicente Cabatingan, chief of the Laguna police intelligence unit, said police were supposed to serve a warrant at De Guzman’s “safehouse” in Barangay (village) San Nicolas at about 2 a.m. but the suspect opened fire at the lawmen. The police retaliated which led to his death.

Cabatingan said the police on Tuesday arrested another member of the syndicate.

“The group is behind the series of (contract) killings in Quezon and Batangas although they are based in San Pablo,” Cabatingan said in a phone interview.

He said they recovered a caliber-.45 pistol and a 9-mm handgun from De Guzman. /cbb