Drug suspect shot dead after grabbing gun during questioning

SAN PEDRO CITY — A suspected drug pusher was shot and killed by the chief of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon) after he allegedly grabbed the gun of the official while he was being questioned inside a police camp in Laguna province on Tuesday.

Yogi Filemon Ruiz, PDEA regional director, said the suspect, Roberto Sulit, had just been taken to his office at Camp Vicente Lim in Calamba City, Laguna when the incident happened at 3 a.m. Tuesday.

Hours before the incident, PDEA agents and the police arrested Sulit, 24, in Bauan town in Batangas province. Arrested with Sulit were two other drug suspects, Joel Aquilan and Choiset Brual.

In a telephone interview on Wednesday, Ruiz said he was preparing to question Sulit, who was taken to his office in handcuffs. Upon approaching the suspect, Sulit complained about the cuffs being too tight and asked the official to loosen them.

“I said, ‘Okay, but you have to talk to us and remember that we are friends,’” said Ruiz, adding that he wanted to establish rapport in order to elicit information from Sulit.

But Ruiz said Sulit tried to break free and seized his gun, which was tucked in the official’s waistband. Ruiz said they grappled until two shots were fired, one hitting Sulit on the side of his body and the other on his chest.

“It happened in just like a minute and a half. [The other agents present] were shocked while [Sulit’s] companions only [ducked] to avoid being hit,” Ruiz said.

He said Sulit died while being taken to the San Jose Hospital near the police camp.

“Batak na batak s’ya (he was really high on drugs),” Ruiz said.

He said they recovered 65 grams of suspected shabu (methamphetamine hydrochloride), worth around P96,000, and a gun from Sulit’s house. PDEA agents also recovered Sulit’s mobile phone, from which they would trace his “backers” in Bauan. JE