Another policeman was killed Wednesday night by riding-in-tandem suspects in front of his residence in Brgy. 2, EB Magalona, Negros Occidental, in what the police said was triggered by old grudges.

Senior Police Officer 4 Roger Canete, 55, succumbed to multiple gunshot wounds that included fatal injuries in the head. He was declared dead on arrival at the Teresita Lopez Jalandoni Provincial Hospital in Silay City, Senior Supt. Milko Lirazan, provincial police director, said.

Immediate coordination made by the EB Magalona police headed by Senior Inspector Conrado Rances III with neighboring police units led to the identification of the suspect, based on the accounts of witnesses.

Police Officer 2 Reynaldo Bernel, who is assigned at the Manapla Police Station, surfaced yesterday at the EB Magalona Police Station to clear his name, and vehemently denied any involvement in the killing of Canete, Senior Inspector Edencio, Manapla police chief, said.

Bernel, a member of the Manapla Police Station, was immediately subjected to a paraffin test at the PNP Crime Laboratory in Bacolod City.

The killing of Canete, who was scheduled to retire in January next year from the police service, came almost a month after PO2 John Gallenero Jr. was also gunned down in La Carlota City, with two policemen also linked to his death.

Lirazan said Cañete, who had participated in a police operation in Silay City, where he is assigned, was on his way home to EB Magalona, on board a Willy’s owner type jeep, when he was shot by the gunman, who reportedly used an M-16 assault rifle.

The gunman reportedly raked the body of Cañete with a burst of gunfire, hitting him in the different parts of his body. Although he was armed, Canete failed to get his gun, since he was fatally hit immediately, police investigations showed.

Lirazan said that Canete aside from performing his job as the Silay police CESPO (Chief Executive Senior Police Officer), was also actively involved in the anti-drug campaign of the Silay City police.

Lirazan, who supervised the investigation of the incident, confirmed that Cañete had received threats on his life, before his death Wednesday night.

Gregorio said that Bernel, who used to be a member of the Silay City Police Station, was reassigned to the Manapla police station a month ago.

Lirazan issued an order placing Bernel under police custody, pending investigations of the killing of Canete.

Aside from old grudges, police probers are looking into other angles to the killing, including that of being job-related, and his active involvement in the anti-drug campaign.

Ten empty shells of an M-16 assault rifle were recovered at the crime scene by EB Magalona policemen who responded to the shooting incident.* GPB

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