By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

A cop assigned to Police Regional Office-6 (PRO-6) was killed by a fellow police officer Sunday evening following, what investigators believe to be, a drunken misunderstanding in Barangay Guadalupe, Janiuay, Iloilo.

Police identified the fatality as Police Officer 1 (PO1) Melchor Casipe, Jr., a member of the Police Regional Mobile Force Battalion and resident of Pulupandan, Negros Occidental.

Janiuay Municipal Police Station commander, Police Senior Inspector John Paul Guay, said during a radio interview, around 3:00 p.m., Casipe, along with the suspect, PO1 Christian Kenneth Senon, and another officer, only identified as ‘PO1 Leones,’ left camp for a night of drinking.

Later that evening, after all parties were inebriated, Casipe and Senon reportedly engaged in an argument. PO1 Leones was said to have broken up the argument and told them to return to camp.

Upon their return, however, the argument reignited, escalating to the point where Senon was allegedly seen carrying his Glock 9mm service pistol.

The suspect then allegedly drew his firearm and shot Casipe multiple times in the back.

Other police officers, led by Police Senior Inspector Charlie Sebastian, arrested Senon on the spot and rushed Casipe to the town’s district hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival by hospital staff.

Cops recovered Senon’s Glock 9mm service pistol, with eight bullets still inside the magazine.

The Janiuay municipal police chief also revealed Senon was supposed to be on suspension as he was linked with the shooting of a barangay tanod’s son in Boracay.

Yesterday morning, Senon was brought before PRO-6 director, Police Chief Superintendent John Bulalacao, to explain his actions.

In a follow-up interview, Bulalacao said Senon would face administrative and criminal cases for killing Casipe.

Casipe’s family, meanwhile, retrieved the slain cop’s remains./DGB, WDJ