Police are now looking into the possibility that the slain jail guard in Talibon was killed over a personal conflict with a former detainee at the Talibon District Jail (TDJ).
According to Talibon chief of police Chief Insp. Frank Oriol, investigations on the case indicated that Jail Officer 2 Ricky Encila received a “serious” threat to his life from a former TDJ detainee before he was gunned down on June 19.
Based on testimonies made by TDJ personnel, Encila had previously punched a detainee while he was working as jail guard for the detention facility.
The detainee, who has yet to be identified by authorities, allegedly violated a policy when he got punched by Encila.
“Nakasala to nga inmate, naka-violate sa ilang policy sa sulod unya allegedly nadapatan kono ni Ricky, unya kadto kono nga inmate maldito daw kaayo to, unya pagdayon gawas, nibuhi dayon ug storya nga iya konong balikan si Ricky,” said Oriol.
Investigators have been tasked to go through the jail’s records to identify the detainee, his address and case.
Oriol noted that once the inmate’s identity is known, he will be considered as person of interest in the case.
He also said that Encila’s killers were likely not hired gunmen.
“Naa man guy indication nga kanang unusual nga kalagot, considering sa kadaghan sa tama sa iyang ulo, so naay indication nga naay hatred, dili lang yano nga kanang pagpatay, dili lang nga gun for hire. So naa g’yuy involvement nga kasuko kay grabe man, gitiwasan pa gyud sa ulo kadaghan,” Oriol added.
Encila was gunned down on June 19 by at least two motorcycle-riding assailants. He sustained six gunshot wounds in his head and seven in various parts of his body.
Two types of bullet casings were found in the crime scene, six from a .45 caliber pistol and seven from a 9mm pistol.
Encila was armed with his service firearm during the incident but was unable to fire back as he was reportedly caught off guard during the attack. (Allen Doydora)