MANILA, Philippines — A suspected robbery operation in Binondo, Manila ended in a deadly encounter with police after one of two men allegedly opened fire at responding officers, authorities said Wednesday, August 26.
The incident unfolded after police received a report from a concerned citizen about two men who had entered an abandoned panciteria along Muelle de Binondo Street in Barangay 287.
According to the Manila Police District (MPD), the area was allegedly being targeted because of nearby establishments, including a delivery courier and a bank. A barangay official also said there had been previous reports of individuals allegedly monitoring nearby buildings and damaging windows.
When MPD Station 11 personnel arrived, they managed to apprehend one of the men. The other suspect, however, reportedly fled toward an abandoned building.
Police said the suspect refused to surrender and allegedly fired at the approaching officers. The policemen then returned fire, hitting the man.
He was rushed to a nearby hospital but was later declared dead, according to authorities.
Police firearms to undergo examination
The MPD Homicide Section said investigators recovered a firearm from the scene containing two live rounds and one fired cartridge case.
Authorities also said two police officers fired their weapons during the confrontation.
Police Major Dave Garcia, chief of the MPD Homicide Section, said the firearms and the involved officers would still undergo forensic examination, including paraffin testing and ballistic examination, as part of the investigation.
This means the circumstances surrounding the shooting remain subject to formal investigation, even as police maintain that the officers responded to an armed threat.
Suspects allegedly linked to earlier robberies
Barangay officials said the two men were being looked into for possible involvement in a series of alleged robberies involving neighboring buildings in the area.
Barangay 287 Chairman Herbert Tuisieng said authorities had reportedly been trying to catch the suspects for months, with incidents allegedly dating back to December and February.
Police also said the slain suspect had previously been jailed in connection with an illegal-drug-related case.
The other suspect, meanwhile, was arrested and reportedly declined to give a statement. GMA reported that he had previously been detained in connection with a human-trafficking case.
Separate report confirms deadly Binondo encounter
A same-day report by Inquirer.net likewise said two men allegedly involved in a robbery in a Binondo commercial building were confronted by MPD Station 11 personnel, leaving one suspect dead and the other arrested.
The Inquirer reported that police initially located the suspects after a concerned citizen saw them in a panciteria in Barangay 287. One suspect allegedly fled and was eventually cornered on the third floor of a building, where police said he opened fire. No police officer was reported injured.
The case has been turned over to the MPD Homicide Division for further investigation.
For now, authorities are expected to establish through forensic and ballistic examinations exactly how the exchange of gunfire unfolded and whether the suspects can be definitively linked to the reported robberies in the area.
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