ARMM ex-cop, waiter die in Cotabato City shooting

COTABATO CITY - A former police officer and a waiter were killed in a shootout that occurred inside a boarding house in Barangay Rosary Heights 9, Cotabato City.Felipe Plantar, boarding house owner and resident of Purok 3, RH-9, Cotabato City, identified his slain boarders as Norman Mamasabang, 37, former police officer of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, and Jeffrey Estacio, 23, an on-call waiter.Responding police officers of Police Station 2 found the two in a pool of blood inside the boarding housefollowing a shooting incident at about 5:50 p.m. Monday.Plantar told DXMS-AM Radyo Bida that before the shooting, he heard an argument between Mamasabang and his live-in partner, known only as Arianne, a student.He said he has no business interfering so he stayed outside. Shortly after, he saw Arianne running toward the residential compound gate and fled. He tried to chase the woman to inquire what happened but she made good her escape.Police investigation showed Mamasabang was about to leave his boarding house when an unidentified man arrived and started shooting him.Then thegunman allegedly barged inside the boarding house where Estacio was resting and killed him too.Responding scene of the crime operatives recovered empty shells for cal. 45 pistol, 12 gauge shot gun and cal. 5.56.Police also found suspected shabu and paraphernalia as well as students' identification cards.Police believed illegal drug trade triggered the shooting.