SAN JOSE CITY – A suspected peddler of illegaldrugs who was in the local police’s watchlist was killed in a gunfight with anti-narcotics personnel in Barangay Bantug Science City of Muñoz at about 10 p.m. Wednesday.
Lt. Col. Heryl Bruno, city police chief, identified the suspect as Robert Downing alias Bobet, resident of Villa Pinili, Bantug, SCM.
Bruno said police conducted a buy–bust operation against the suspect after reports confirmed the suspect’s alleged selling of drugs.
The operation, however, resulted to an “armed encounter” after Downing reportedly fired a .45 pistol at the policeman “but missed.”
“The lawman and back-up returned fire hitting the suspect fatally causing his instantaneous death,” the police post operational report said.
Aside from the pistol, investigators recovered from the suspect 20 sachets of suspected shabu, the P1,000 buy–bust money, and live bullets.
Police said the suspect had been operating in Nueva Ecija and adjoining provinces.
