Man killed in Oriental Mindoro town drug buy-bust

CALAPAN CITY, Philippines– A man known only by his alias “Benny” was shot and killed by police after he allegedly fired at them during a buy-bust operation in Mansalay town in Oriental Mindoro province Friday night, police said Saturday.

The man, believed to be from Manila, was the target of the buy-bust operation in Sitio (sub-village) Macawalo in Barangay (village) Villa Celestial conducted by police and anti-drug agents at around 10:15 p.m., Supt. Imelda Tolentino, Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, Palawan) police information officer, said.

She said the operation “resulted to an armed encounter ” when the suspect noticed that he was transacting with authorities.

She added that he drew his caliber 9mm pistol and shot at the police officers, “prompting the PNP (Philippine National Police) operatives to return fire,” hitting the suspect.

The suspect sustained two bullet wounds on his upper left chest and died while being taken to the Oriental Mindoro Southern District Hospital.

Police confiscated the loaded caliber 9mm pistol, nine sachets of “shabu” (crystal meth), a sachet of suspected marijuana and the P1,000 marked money used in the operation.