LC Jail officer gunned down

By Dominic B. dela Cruz

Staff Reporter

A CONFRONTATION after a near accident resulted in the death of a Laoag City jail officer.

Jail Officer I Jayson Cabanatan, 30 years old, married and a resident Barangay Tabug, Batac City was gunned down at a gasoline station here in Laoag City at midnight on May 13, 2014.

The Laoag City police identified the suspect as Mark Neil Racaido, of legal age and a resident of Barangay 59-B Dibua South Laoag City.

Cabanatan was rushed to the Gov. Roque B. Ablan Sr. Memorial Hospital by responding police officers where he was pronounced “dead on arrival”.

In their initial investigation, Laoag deputy police chief P/Chief Insp. Jonathan Papay disclosed that victim together with his companion identified as SJO1 Joel Guillermo also detailed at the Laoag City Jail were walking from the convenient store of said gasoline station when a green Mercedes Benz 100 van bearing a plate number ULK 554 which was then moving in an opposite direction nearly hit the victim while walking.

Cabanatan then approached the driver of the vehicle where a heated altercation ensued. During the altercation, Cabanatan purportedly hit the face of the suspect, who retaliated by firing a short firearm at the victim.

The suspect fled after the incident.

The police recovered eight cartridges of a 9–mm pistol and one deformed bullet for the same gun type at the crime scene.

The police also recovered another three deformed 9-mm bullets from the victim’s body at the hospital.

On May 16, 2014, the police filed a case for violation of Article 248 of the Penal Code, or murder, at the City Prosecutor’s Office against the suspect.

Laoag City police officer-in-charge P/Supt. Jeffrey Gorospe, the case is still under investigation and the suspect is still at large.

Reacting to this, Laoag City Jail warden Sr. Jail Officer Herminigildo Rivera expressed his sadness about what happened to one of his subordinates.

Rivera said that it will be the discretion of the court if the suspect requests for another jail if he would be caught and detained since the victim was working at the Laoag jail.

Rivera added that inmates also expressed their sympathy to what happened to the jail officer. An ongoing summer sports fest at the city jail was also temporarily halted to pay respects to the fallen jail officer.

The warden also divulged that jail officers have been detailed at the victim’s house and they are monitoring Cabanatan’s family.

As for the investigation, Rivera expressed his confidence that the Laoag police would do what their jobs and that he would respect the results, notwithstanding the fact that the suspect’s father is a retired police officer and was detailed here in Laoag.

Cabanatan was on his second year of service at the Laoag jail.