By Alexandria Dennise San Juan
The suspect tagged in the killing of a pregnant prosecutor in June died in a gun scuffle with the police who was escorting him back to the detention cell after doing routinary procedures before being transferred to the Quezon City Jail, Saturday.
Mugshot of suspect Angelito Avenido Jr. (photo courtesy of QCPD)
Senior Insp. Elmer Monsalve, chief of Quezon City Police District Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit, said Angelito Avenido Jr., 31, died due to a lone gunshot wound under his jaw.
According to Monsalve, they already received a commitment order from the Regional Trial Court Branch 104 in Quezon City dated July 27, 2018 which directed Avenido to be transferred to the Quezon City Jail in Kamuning.
Monsalve said Avenido was brought to the Operations Room at the second floor of CIDU Building inside Camp Karingal around 11 a.m. Saturday for routine procedures such as photographs and latent prints in preparation for his transfer to the QC Jail.
After the procedure, duty jailer PO2 Ramil Langa escorted Avenido back to the detention cell.
However, upon stepping out of the room, uncuffed Avenido allegedly grabbed the service firearm of Langa resulting in a scuffle between the two.
During the tussle, Langa's caliber .40 went off thrice hitting the suspect once under his jaw.
Langa, with two other operatives of the Homicide Section of CIDU, rushed Avenido to East Avenue Medical Center where he eventually died.
Monsalve said Langa immediately surrendered his service firearm and is now subject for investigation.
QCPD Acting Chief District Directorial Staff Senior Supt. Sidney Villaflor said Avenido has been detained at the QCPD-CIDU detention cell since June 4 for case of robbery with homicide.
He was behind the stabbing and killing of 32-year-old Assistant Special Prosecutor of the Office of the Ombudsman, Atty. Madonna Joy Ednaco-Tanyag last month.
Investigation said Tanyag, who was then five-month pregnant, was heading back to her car along Visayas Avenue in Barangay Vasra, Quezon City on June 4 after buying a milk tea in the area.
Police said she attended a hearing in Sandiganbayan earlier that day.
While on the driver's seat of the car, a man holding a knife followed her and stabbed her on her chest before running away from the scene.
Barangay authorities rushed Tanyag to East Avenue Medical Center where she succumbed to three critical stab wounds on her left chest.
Robbery is being eyed as motive as the mobile phone of the victim was missing in the crime scene.
A follow-up operation was conducted after establishing witnesses and closed circuit television clips pointing Avenido as the suspect.
Recovered from him were two identification cards of the victim, two coin purses, P9,000 cash, and a mobile phone.
Further investigation is underway to check if Langa was liable in the incident.