BACOLOD CITY – A policeman was killed while his colleague was injured  in a shooting incident outside a night club at Goldenfield Commercial Complex on Araneta St. here close to midnight Sunday.

The fatality was identified as Police Officer 2 Arnold Cañal, a personnel of Police Station 10 in Bacolod assigned to the Police Regional Office 6 Intelligence Division in Iloilo City.

His colleague, PO2 Federico Nicolas, also detailed to the same unit, is being treated at Bacolod Adventist Medical Center for a leg injury.

Bar caretaker Samson Suico was also hit by a stray bullet.

Senior Supt. Ricardo de la Paz, city police director, said the Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) formed a tracker team to arrest the four suspects.

De la Paz identified two of them as Romulo Arcenas alias Kid Ramir and Lino “Dodoy” Cuadra.

Both are considered “police characters.” He said Arcenas, being a suspect also in the killing of another policemen several years, was jailed before while Cuadra was involved in a drug-related case.

“We will continue to follow up this case to give justice to our policemen who responded to a critical situation. They didn’t intend to kill the suspects. Their purpose is only to disarm them,” De la Paz said.

Initial investigation showed that Nicolas was at Golden Shadow Bar and Restaurant at around 11:50 p.m. when he spotted a man carrying a firearm. Nicolas tried to contact the nearby Police Station 8 for reinforcement but he did not receive a reply.

He then sent a text message to Cañal who was already home. When Cañal arrived at the bar, they presented themselves as policemen, and they were also introduced to Arcenas.

However, when Arcenas went outside, he fired his gun, prompting both policemen to respond. Cañal then disarmed Arcenas of his caliber .45 pistol and Cuadra also pulled his gun and fired.

Arcenas, in turn, seized Cañal’s gun and fired at the policeman several times.

Supt. Santiago Rapiz, special operations group head of BCPO, said the policemen considered it an insult that a civilian fired his gun in their presence.

He said that so far, they have not seen a grudge between the suspects and victims that could have led to the incident.

It was apparently a result of the tension between both parties inside the bar, who were armed and had a drink, he added.*