Bohol cop slain in ambush

CEBU, Philippines — Twenty years after his own father was ambushed and killed, a policeman suffered the same fate while his wife was wounded after they were shot by armed men last Monday night in Maribojoc, Bohol Province.

Police Corporal Arnel Bayot a resident of Barangay Tinangnan, Tubigon, Bohol, assigned to the Provincial Mobile Force Company of Ubay, was killed instantly during the attack, while his wife, Richelle, survived with gunshot wounds in her arm and left leg.

According to the Bohol Provincial Police Office, Bayot and his wife were driving in their vehicle along the National Highway around 8 p.m. when they were suddenly fired upon by still-unidentified assailants.

Investigators found 19 spent 5.56mm shells from an M16 rifle at the crime scene.

BPPO director, Police Colonel Jonathan Cabal, said that the slain policeman is undergoing a moral recovery program, but added they have yet to confirm the specific details as to why Bayot is taking such a program.

Cabal said that he is set to talk with the victim’s wife who, as of this writing, is still in the hospital, to get a lead in their investigation.

“So far wala pa naman kaming nakikitang concrete na (motive),” Cabal told reporters in an interview.

Cabal also said that way back in 2000, the victim’s father, also a policeman with the rank of Senior Police Officer 3, was also ambushed in Barangay Poblacion.

“Ang nakuha ko na impormasyon, yung tatay niya (victim) pala sometime in 2000, in-ambush din sa Poblacion. Yung mag-ama parang fate na nila at pareho,” Cabal said.

With this, the authorities will be looking into the members of the victim’s family and possible persons that the victim has conflict with to get leads in the investigation. They will also look into the victim’s previous police assignments.

At present, Cabal said that they have yet to determine how many people were behind the ambush. They will first check if all the shells found at the crime scene came from the same firearm.

“Kung maraming pagkakaiba (empty shells) ibig sabihin maraming firearms,” Cabal clarified.

Cabal also asked for possible witnesses to help them solve this case.  BRP (FREEMAN)