CEBU CITY – On Friday the 13th, a day associated with misfortune, a heated altercation in Barangay 6, Tuburan town, Cebu province, turned deadly when a policeman shot his neighbor in the head.
Police Staff Sgt. Florante Perucho Hoyle, an operative of the Investigation and Detective Management Unit of Cebu City Police Office, surrendered to authorities after the incident.
Police identified the fatality as Leo Vergel Fin Suico.
Police Capt. Dun Blane Tabares, information officer of the Cebu Police Provincial Office, said a group of men was having a drinking session when a drunk Hoyle arrived.
An argument ensued between the cop and the group, which escalated when Hoyle slapped one of the men.
A brawl erupted. As punches were thrown, the policeman drew a gun and fired a warning shot at the ground.
The group of men ran after hearing the gunshot.
Police said the suspect chased them, eventually entering the victim’s house and shooting Suico in the head.
“According to the investigator of the Tuburan police, it looked like a mistaken identity. The suspect may have thought that the victim was one of those whom he got into a fight with,” said Tabares.
The suspect later surrendered to his colleagues who responded to the crime scene. He also surrendered a loaded Colt .45-caliber pistol
He is now in custody at the Tuburan Police Station and faces murder and physical injury charges, police said. (Calvin Cordova)
