A policeman who was tagged as a primary suspect in the killing of a fisherman in a village here surrendered to his superiors on Thursday night.
The suspect, Patrolman Jade Rio Rosales Mantua, 31, yielded to the Tambler police station at about 7 p.m. after hours of negotiations, Col. Gilberto Tuzon, the city police director, said Friday.
Mantua initially sent feelers to colleagues at the Regional Mobile Force Battalion (RMFB) 12 (Soccsksargen), where he was assigned as an intelligence officer and was eventually convinced by their officials to give up, Tuzon said.
He surrendered a Philippine National Police-issued Zigana PX-9 9-mm. pistol, with serial number T0620-19BM11483, and six live ammunition.
It was the gun allegedly used by the suspect in the fatal shooting of Rusty Dumas, 35, during an altercation at his home in Block 3, Purok Diamond Valley, Barangay Tambler at about 7:15 a.m. on Thursday.
“He is now in our custody and the subject firearm has been turned over to the Regional Crime Laboratory Office 12 for ballistic examination,” Tuzon said in an interview.
The city police launched a massive manhunt against Mantua, who fled after the shooting incident.
The two reportedly had an undisclosed argument while attending a wake on Wednesday night and figured in another confrontation that resulted in the shooting.
Dumas died on the spot due to a lone gunshot wound on the head from a caliber 9-mm. pistol.
Tuzon said he instructed their investigators to dig deeper into the case, assuring a fair and impartial investigation.
“We strongly condemn this incident. We do not tolerate the involvement of our personnel in any crime,” he said.
Source: Philippines News Agency