Cops ambushed; 1 dead, 1 hurt; gunmen’s van found

By Liezle Basa Iñigo

SAN CARLOS CITY, Pangasinan — Unidentified gunmen aboard a van opened fire at police riding on separate motorcycles along San Carlos-Urbiztondo Road in Barangay Agdao, here Tuesday killing one of the officers and wounding the other.

Supt. Nestor Cusi, city chief of police, identified the fatality as PO2 Jimbo Agtarap and the wounded as PO1 Rachael Cancino, both assigned to the San Carlos City Police Office.

Cusi said both officers were traveling along the same road to work around 8 a.m., but with PO2 Agtarap way ahead of PO1 Cancino when the former was shot to death by a gunman inside the van.

Moments later, PO1 Cancino reached the spot where PO2 Agtarap was ambushed but initially thought the latter had met an accident.

Suddenly the same gunmen fired at PO1 Cancino and then fled the scene immediately.

Later, as PO1 Cancino was taken to the hospital, Cusi coordinated with the police commands of neighboring towns to set up a dragnet to intercept the fleeing assailants.

It was not long until Chief Insp. Joshua Maximo, chief of police of Urbiztondo, reported that his men had spotted the assailants’ Toyota Hi-Ace Grandia abandoned in Barangay Dalangiring, said town.

Investigation was still ongoing as of press time.