The Manila Police District (MPD) on Monday revealed the names of the alleged robbers who killed two policemen and a businessman during a heist in Paco, Manila last week.
MPD's Chief Inspector Dominador Arevalo Jr. said Juanito Boton and Edmund Mendoza, suspected members of the "Rodica Gang," were the killers of Police Officer 3 Francisco Neri, Police Officer 2 Jose Ismael Santos and lawyer-businessman Alfred Dy.
Arevalo showed the pictures of the suspects taken out from the police rogues' gallery.
The official said the two were tagged by some people who saw the heist that happened in broad daylight.
Dy was on board his beige Honda CR-V (ZJA 847) when two motorcycle-riding gunmen shot and killed him at the corner of Pedro Gil and Paz streets around 10 a.m. on May 12. The gunmen forcibly took Dy's P1 million cash, which was withdrawn from a nearby Banco de Oro branch.
Neri and Santos responded to the robbery, but were killed during the shootout that took place along Merced Street in Paco district.
Reports said the two gunmen had two armed back-ups.
Arevalo told reporters that Boton is a former Army corporal who became a partner of Pedro Rodica, the leader of the robbery group.
He said the two had been arrested in 2006, but Boton was able to post bail while Rodica was rescued by his cohorts in December 2007.
He said Boton had since acted as the gang's leader.