“License to Kill”

scene and entered the home. 233 Almost immediately, two more gunshots rang out. George
Avanceña, who had apparently arrived with Norberto Maderal but had not been seen by
the relative, was killed. 234
Neighbors later told the relative that the armed men responsible for shooting Maderal had
trailed Maderal and Avanceña to the home. The neighbors added that they had noticed the
home had been under police surveillance since the day before the killings. 235
SOCO police investigators came to the scene, and later asked the relative who witnessed
the killing to give a statement to the police. 236 When the relative told the police what he
had witnessed, the police responded by asking how long the relative had been aware of
Maderal’s drug use and why he had not reported this to the police. 237
The police spot report stated:
The initial investigation conducted revealed that on above given time and
date, this station conducted a buy-bust operation on the alluded place.
When the suspects realized that they were transacting with a police
operative, suspects immediately drew their firearms and pointed it to the
operatives and tried to open fire, police officers were placed in imminent
danger that prompted them to defend themselves which resulted in the
instantaneous deaths of the suspects. 238
233 Ibid.
234 Ibid.
235 Ibid.
236 Ibid.
237 Ibid.
238 Navotas Police Department, Blotter Entry 1716, “For Record: Re Police Operation that resulted to the death of two (2) male
person,” October 19, 2016 (on file with Human Rights Watch).
LICENSE TO KILL 74