A nephew and bodyguard of slain Talisay Vice Mayor Florencio Manimtim Jr. were killed in an ambush in Talisay, Batangas, Tuesday morning, police said.

The two suspects, one of whom was a former policeman, also got killed when they shot it out with pursuing lawmen in neighboring Tanauan City.

Manimtim’s nephew, Dan August Omana, and his bodyguard Joel Caringal died on the spot due to bullet wounds on the different parts of the body, Senior Insp. Liezel Dimaandal, Batangas provincial police spokesperson, said.

The ambush occurred around 7:55 a.m. while Omana and Caringal were riding a Honda Civic (URP-932) in along the National Highway in Brgy. Tumaway.

Another car bumped the Civic’s front portion, then a man alighted and open fired at Omana and Caringal with a rifle, Dimaandal said.

After the incident, the assailant and his cohort sped towards Tanauan City so members of the Talisay police alerted their counterparts there.

Around 8:30 a.m., members of the Tanauan City Police encountered the suspects in Brgy. Pagaspas, killing the two.

The suspects were later identified as former policeman Mario Macauba, 35, of Talisay, and Efren Macahiya Reyes Jr., 23, of Sto. Tomas.

Recovered from the scene were a Mitsubishi Galant (WEZ-403), a magnum-.357 pistol, an AK-47 rifle, and another pistol which was still tucked at the waist of one of the suspects.

Manimtim was shot last Dec. 15, 2011 near the SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City. He died in the hospital four days later. (John Roson)

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