Trader survives second slay try

An Indian and his family escaped serious harm after being shot at by men on a motorcycle near his house in 3rd Street, Felina Village, barangay Tisa, last Friday night, for reasons still unclear to policemen. Zurgit "Johnny" Singh, 45, reported that it was the second time somebody has tried to kill him.

Singh was with his wife Janette, son Igbal, 18, and daughter Amandeep, 11, on board their gold-colored Hyundai Elantra with plate number YAN-362 driven by Janette when the incident happened.

They were on their way home and Janette was making a U-turn when two men came onboard a motorcycle. The passenger of the motorcycle, who was wearing a crash helmet, got off the vehicle and shot at the Singhs through the windshield of the car several times with a .45 cal. pistol.

Nine bullets hit the windshield of the car but none of them hit the Singhs, except for one that grazed Johnny in the lower left torso. Glass splinters from the shattered windshield also hurt his right wrist. The assailant then hopped back on the motorcycle that was last seen speeding off to F. Llamas Street. The assailant was described as 5'7" tall, of medium build and wearing a black jacket.

SPO1 Crescente Dacillo of the Punta Princesa police told The Freeman that there were actually four persons on board two motorcycles who attacked the Singhs as the standard .45 cal. magazine can only hold seven rounds.

Homicide Section policemen and Scene of the Crime Operatives personnel recovered 10 empty .45 cal. shells and two .45 cal. slugs from the crime scene.

SPO1 Jay Yballe of the Homicide Section said Singh was not cooperative and only told police that he did not know the assailants.

Last November 16, Singh, owner of Time 2 Dyn Restobar at the corner of Acacia and Escario streets in barangay Camputhaw, was drinking with his friends and guests in the outer area of the establishment when a man came and shot him through the wire-link fence.

The man also escaped on a motorcycle driven by another man, they were last seen heading to Archbishop Reyes Avenue.

Singh was shot in the abdomen and back. His friends rushed him to the Chong Hua Hospital for treatment. Witness said that prior to the incident they saw a white car parked nearby where a woman waited and signaled the attack by pointing at Singh. The car sped off after the incident.

Yballe said he has yet to coordinate with the National Bureau of Investigation to determine the motive behind the first attempt on Singh's life and if it is connected with this latest try.