Two of the victims were students and the other was a utility worker of the Bureau of Customs. They were playing trick cards when the lone assailant shot them outside a house at the corner of Isagani and Ibarra Streets in Parian.
Homicide investigators, led by SPO3 Zenaido Pastorfide, said the fatalities were 23-year-old Earl Rodrigo Lumaing, a music sophomore of the University of Southern Philippines, 16-year-old Miles Oliver Cortez, a nautical student of the University of Cebu, and 22-year-old Millard Montederamos, who worked at the Customs Bureau.
Lumaing was from Guiuan, Eastern Samar and resided at Logarta Street, while Cortes was from Borongan, Eastern Samar and resided at Bonifacio Street, the police said.
A witness (name is withheld), who was grateful he was not fired upon, told The Freeman that he saw the gunman shot the victims several times without provocation.
"Naagi raman to; medyo taason and buhok 'tong suspek nga nagsuot og stripes nga sweatshirt; dayon nilakaw raman to," the eyewitness said.
Another student, who was with the victims a few seconds before the shooting, said he had just gotten inside the house to drink water when he heard successive bursts of gunfire from outside.
A boarder and he then peeped through the door to see what happened, but what they saw were Lumaing and Cortez already slumped on the pavement, while Montederamos struggled to rise and asked for help.
The boarders however warned each other not to go out for fear that the assailant might still be outside, until neighbors from other apartment units went out to get to the victims and call the police.
Police of the nearby Parian Station responded quickly and took the victims to the Cebu City Medical Center where Lumaing was declared dead on arrival. Cortez and Montederamos later died one after the other.
Lumaing was hit in his left chest and back, Cortez was hit in his neck and back, and Montederamos got five gunshot wounds in the neck near the right ear, both thighs, and armpit. He succumbed at past 4 a.m. yesterday.
Police reports said the assailant, after shooting the victims, casually walked to Zamora Street where a companion on an idling motorcycle was waiting. The two then sped toward Jakosalem Street. R
Recovered from the crime scene were seven spent shells and a live bullet of a .45 caliber gun, a deformed slug and a metal fragment.
Homicide policeman, SPO1 Desiderio Mendaros, said they could not determine yet if the shooting was fraternity-related because no one yet from the victim's friends provided other information.
Lumaing's classmates and friends from USP, who went to the Saint Peter Funeral Homes, described him as a "joker" and fond of doing magic tricks to them.
Lumaing and Cortes remains are in the same funeral parlor while that of Montederamos was already claimed by his uncle, Antonio Resos, chief of Port Operations Division Office in Cebu.
Jolo Tolentino, a close friend of Lumaing and a USP computer instructor, told The Freeman at last night's wake that he could not remember Lumaing being affiliated with a fraternity.
Intelligence chief, Supt. Pablo Labra, clarified that the shooting was an isolated case but the probe has looked into fraternity connections, personal grudges, or maybe sheer thrill killing.
"This is not good, we must do something about it (paregla). In pre-meditated killings, there is a plan to kill but as to the target, to whom it may concern. These things happen but we can still say that Cebu City is relatively peaceful," Labra said.
Labra said all angles on the case would be considered, including background check of the victims considering that one was a worker of Customs.
Authorities are now gathering more pieces of information and possible witnesses that would help lead to the identification of the assailant and his cohorts. - Edwin Ian Melecio/RAE