PAGADIAN CITY, Zamboanga del Sur — A police intelligence officer and two suspected illegal firearm dealers were killed in an armed confrontation during a police buy-bust operation in Purok Malipayon, Barangay Dao, Pagadian City, early Sunday, August 23, 2026.
The slain police officer was identified as Police Major Aiman Khuzaimah P. Pantaran, 35, an intelligence officer of the Pagadian City Police Station (Pagadian CPS). The two suspects were identified as Janie Bravo Gomez and Jerry Bravo Gomez.
According to the police, the operation was launched against individuals allegedly involved in the illegal sale of firearms. The situation turned violent after the suspects reportedly realized that the people they were dealing with were law enforcement personnel.
Police said the suspects allegedly opened fire, prompting the operatives to return fire and resulting in a gun battle at the area.
Pantaran sustained gunshot wounds during the confrontation. He was immediately rushed to Mendero Medical Center for emergency medical treatment but was declared dead at around 12:50 a.m.
The two suspects likewise sustained gunshot wounds and were pronounced dead following the armed confrontation.
The incident prompted authorities to secure the area while forensic personnel were requested to process the crime scene, document the circumstances surrounding the shooting and recover pieces of evidence that could help establish the sequence of events.
The police operation remains under investigation as authorities work to determine the full circumstances of the encounter, including the events immediately preceding the exchange of gunfire and the firearms and other evidence recovered from the scene.
Pantaran was a graduate of the Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA) Tagapamagitan Class of 2013, where he reportedly finished ninth in his graduating class. During his police career, he served in various assignments and leadership positions within the Philippine National Police.
Among his previous assignments were leadership and operational roles in the police service, including service as a city police station chief and as company commander of the Technical Support Company of the Regional Mobile Force Battalion 10.
His death in the line of duty marks a significant loss to the Pagadian City police force, while the deaths of the two suspects are now part of the ongoing investigation into the alleged illegal firearms transaction and the fatal exchange of gunfire.
Authorities are expected to release additional information as the crime-scene processing and investigation progress.