A police officer from the Quezon City Police District (QCPD) and a robbery suspect were killed during an armed encounter on Monday, June 30, along Katipunan Avenue in Barangay Commonwealth. Two bystanders were also wounded in the shootout.
Police identified the fatalities as Patrolman Harwin Curtney Baggay of the District Tactical and Motorized Unit (DTMU) and robbery suspect Rolando Capin Villiarete, 33, a resident of Barangay Payatas, Quezon City.
According to the QCPD, Baggay and his partner were manning a fixed visibility post in front of Benigno Aquino Elementary School when they heard successive gunshots about 25 meters away.
The officers responded to the scene and encountered an ongoing robbery. During the confrontation, Baggay was shot in the left arm, with the bullet passing through his chest.
Though wounded, Baggay managed to fire back, while his partner engaged and fatally shot the suspect.
Baggay was rushed to Rosario Maclang Hospital but was declared dead at 3:38 a.m. His remains now lie at Camp Karingal Chapel in Quezon City.
Two bystanders were also injured during the incident. They were identified as “Sonny,” who sustained gunshot wounds to his left upper arm and trunk, and “Irah Mae,” who was struck by a fragment from a ricocheted bullet.
Records from the Investigation Solution Automatic Verification (ISAV) system revealed that suspect Villiarete had multiple prior offenses, including a June 2024 charge for violation of Republic Act 10591 (Illegal Possession of Firearms), cases of Alarms and Scandals in January and July 2018, and Attempted Homicide in November 2015 and October 2017.