Cop kills 1, wounds another in argument while drinking

MANILA, Philippines—Pasay police are looking for a policeman who killed one of his friends and wounded another while they were having drinks in one of his friends’ house in Pasay City early Friday.

Police Officer 1 (PO1) Rupert Baluyot fled in his FX van, after shooting dead Virgilio Hilario, 35, and hitting Pedro Deleva, 45, in Deleva’s home at Cuyegkeng Street, Barangay 2 in Zone 4.

The incident happened at around 1:30 a.m., when, while the three friends were having drinks with two others, an argument broke out, prompting Baluyot to draw his .45-caliber gun and fire, police said.

With around 10 bullet shells found at the scene, investigators believe Baluyot had fired wildly, hitting Hilario twice in the abdomen and killing him on the spot, said Pasay Police Investigation Division chief Insp. Joey Goforth in a telephone interview.

Deleva immediately moved to calm Baluyot down, but even the former Philippine Constabulary trooper proved no match. Baluyot simply struck him on the head with the gun before escaping, Goforth said.

Goforth said they have yet to determine Baluyot’s motive, or why he suddenly went on a rampage. They were piecing the facts together through Deleva, who is still undergoing treatment at a hospital.

The two others in the drinking party have apparently also gone into hiding and police are trying to track them down, Goforth said.

The Pasay Police was also trying to determine if Baluyot still was an active-duty cop or had been dismissed for one reason or other and where his last assignment was.

Investigators recovered Baluyot’s USB flash disk which contained documents in which Baluyot, identified as a rookie policeman, was asking to be reinstated in the police force.

“As of now, we are requesting verification from Camp Crame on his status and where he was last assigned,” Goforth said.

Goforth denied media reports that shabu paraphernalia had been recovered from the scene of the crime.