By LITO RULONA
and NITZ ARANCON
Correspondents
AUTHORITIES killed a suspected drug dealer who shot dead a taxi driver and wounded a pregnant woman during a chase in Bulua at 11 pm Monday.
Chief Insp. Ariel Philip Pontillas, Agora police chief, identified the slain suspect as Brian Sultan a.k.a. Brian Bantuas and Brian Macawares of Vamenta Subdivision in Barra, Opol, Misamis Oriental.
Police said Sultan killed taxi driver Mario Tacmoy, and wounded Josephine Ramos at Villa Candida Subdivision in Bulua where the suspect was cornered by the police and agents of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).
Pontillas said Sultan tried to escape, and fired shots at authorities when he was cornered at an unoccupied housing unit at Kiwi and Hyacinth streets, Villa Candida.
He said authorities tried to convince Sultan to surrender when he sought refuge in the housing unit at around 7:45 pm following a chase from a police checkpoint in Barra, Opol town.
Police said Sultan, who was riding a taxi when he was spotted, shot and killed Tacmoy, the driver, and threw his body off the taxi on the road near Merry Child school in Bulua. Tacmoy was declared dead on arrival at a nearby hospital.
At Villa Candida, Pontillas said, Sultan fired a shot, wounding the pregnant Ramos in the arm. The woman received treatment, and is out of danger.
Pontillas said efforts were made to make Sultan surrender but the suspect fought back.
“Na-abtan na kamig pasado alas 11 sa kabi-e didto sa abandoned nga balay nga iyang gitago-an, amo siyang gihangyo nga mo-surrender, pero dili gyud mo-surrender, determinado gyud siya nga mopatay ug pulis,” Pontillas said. “Amo nang gihimo ang tanang effort to preserve his life pero gipamusil man hino-on kami niya, so wala na kami nahimo except to return fire.”
Sultan’s body, riddled with bullets, was brought to a mortuary in Bulua.
The Scene of the Crime Operatives (Soco) found in the housing unit a caliber .45 pistol, a magazine with four bullets, empty shells, cash that included dollars bills, cellphones, and a brown wallet.
Pontillas said Sultan was a suspected drug dealer and was blamed for a series of shooting incidents in Barra Opol.
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