..AN ARMED man was shot dead by members of the Special Weapons and Tactics (Swat) unit near the Taboan Public Market in Cebu City at 1 a.m. yesterday.
Marvelan Cañete Villanueva, 37, died when he allegedly refused to surrender the 38 revolver he was holding to PO2 Michael Baylon, 30, and PO2 Nemesio Paragsa, 29, of the Motorcycle Response Unit.
Baylon and Paragsa were responding to a call for help by a resident, who reported a man indiscriminately firing a gun in the area.
Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) Director Melvin Ramon Buenafe said the two Swat members will be investigated, but he believes they were just doing their job.
Rifle
The police said Villanueva attempted to shoot the Swat men when told to give up the revolver.
Villanueva was shot in the chest and back by Baylon using an M16 rifle. Villanueva, a family driver, died on the spot.
Buenafe said there was nothing wrong with the two Swat members’ use of M16 rifles to respond to the incident.
“They have to be equipped with superior firearms in responding to an armed person alarm because we don’t know what kind of firearm the suspect has,” said Buenafe in a media gathering yesterday.
He added that Baylon and Paragsa were only doing the job of protecting the people.
“The Swat members will still have to be facing an investigation since someone died,” he said.
CCPO Homicide Section Chief Jul Muhammad Jamiri said his office is asking the family of Villanueva to file a case against the two Swat members.
“To be fair to the family of Villanueva, we will assist them in filing a case, that is if they wanted to file,” he said.
He said his office invited Villanueva’s family to come to the CCPO but they have yet to receive a reply.
Meanwhile, another man died near the Taboan market yesterday afternoon.
Jake Michael Vidad, 23, was shot in the head by two unidentified suspects riding a white motorcycle around 2 p.m.
An empty shell of a 45 pistol was recovered from the area.
SPO1 Ruth Violango of the CCPO Homicide Section said Vidad was jailed last year for robbery.
