AN AWOL police officer was gunned down in Albuera, Leyte on Sunday. (Contributed photo)
TACLOBAN CITY – An absent without official leave (AWOL) police officer was shot dead on Sunday in Sitio Gungab, Barangay Poblacion, Albuera, Leyte.
The victim was identified as Dexter Patun-og, 47, who had been AWOL since 2007 and a resident of Bliss Bagong Buhay, Ormoc City, Leyte.
The victim was watching a cockfight when an unidentified gunman appeared and fired at him. Patun-og sustained multiple bullet wounds and died on the spot.
The incident triggered panic, prompting people at the Antonio B. Zaldivar Cockpit and Sports Center to flee.
The Albuera Municipal Police Station launched an investigation and conducting pursuit operation to identify and apprehend the suspect.
It was the second violent incident here in two days. On Saturday, a barangay chairman and his driver were wounded in an ambush which was condemned by Mayor Kerwin Espinosa.