KIDAPAWAN CITY -- Police killed in an ensuing shootout two armed suspects who shot to death a tricycle driver for still unknown reason late Thursday evening along the national highway here.
Chief Inspector Ramil Hojilla, Kidapawan police chief, identified the fatalities as tricycle driver Noa Capulong, Algiver Saga and John Hermie Estopacia, both residents of Barangay Saguing, Makilala, North Cotabato.
Hojilla said the shooting started at around 11:30 p.m. in front of barbecue stalls along the national highway when Saga shot dead Capulong without any provocation.
As Saga was trying to escape with Estopacia on board a motorbike, he traded shots with responding police officers who were near the crime scene conducting routine patrol.
The shootout left Saga and his driver Estopacia both dead. Police are still determining the motive behind Capulong's murder and the group affiliation of the suspects.
Earlier reports said the suspects belonged to the communist New Peoples’ Army but police were still verifying the information. Capulong, according to police records, is facing charges for robbery. He survived an attempt on his life in 2015. (PNA)
