A policeman who was ambushed and shot on February 23 in Bacong, Negros Oriental, died of a heart attack at a hospital in Dumaguete City, Sunday.

The death of Sr. Insp. Reynaldo Costas, who lives in Bacong town, but was assigned at the Internal Affairs Service of the Philippine National Police in Siquijor province, left police investigators clueless as to the motive for his ambush.

Costas had never left the private hospital where he was being treated for three bullet wounds since he was shot by two men last month.

Sr. Insp. Leopoldo Ijan, the police chief of Bacong, said Costas had initially hinted that he had information on the identities of the suspects but had declined to issue a statement while still in the hospital for alleged “security reasons”.

Costas had undergone surgery for his wounds and although his death was a blow to the investigation, his men will continue working on the case, Ijan said.

Police probers had initially hinted that the motive behind Costas’ death was a personal grudge involving a land dispute. However, police investigators are also considering another angle which could be a sensitive administrative complaint against a PNP members that Costas was handling.*JFP

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