‘Drug pusher’ dead, cop hurt in Cavite shootout

SAN PEDRO CITY –– A suspected drug dealer was killed while a police officer was wounded in a shootout in Gen. Trias City in Cavite province.

A report from the Cavite police on Friday said slain drug dealer Wilbert Ungco was an accomplice of a certain Reynaldo Salamat, the target of a police operation, around 10:30 a.m. Thursday in Barangay San Francisco.

The operation was hatched following the arrest earlier of two suspected street pushers identified only by aliases, “Alvin” and “Nonoy.”

The two men told police during the interrogation that they had been getting “shabu” (crystal meth) from Salamat.

City police chief Lt. Col. Marlo Solero said members of the police Drug Enforcement Team were on their way to meet Salamat for a buy-bust operation when they were fired upon.

Police returned fire and hit Ungco, while a police officer was shot on his knee.

Salamat escaped during the shootout.

Recovered from the scene were a .45 caliber gun and about 20 grams of suspected shabu./lzb