Ex-cop's female pal cleared in murder

Investigators have yet to identify the man who reportedly gunned down the retired policeman at barangay Northern Poblacion in San Francisco, Camotes Island Friday afternoon but they have cleared the woman who was drinking with the victim moments before the shooting.

SPO1 Valentino Guevarra, of the San Francisco Police, yesterday told The Freeman that a man from a multicab shot dead the victim, 57-year-old Nicasio Mortejo, a retired SPO1 also of the town police.

Guevarra said Mortejo had a drinking session first inside a videoke bar with a certain Nida Sampan, who investigators said could not be held responsible in the killing although she had an altercation with the victim earlier.

Videoke bar owner Rene Andrade told the police that Mortejo and Sampan, in the course of their drinking, got into a brief altercation prompting the woman to leave. He said Mortejo even asked him to follow her outside but he refused forcing Mortejo to do it himself.

Guevarra said Sampan and another witness saw Mortejo go out of the bar and had an argument with someone from a multicab that had just arrived before they heard gunshots and saw the victim lying bloodied in the ground.

Responding policemen arrived at the scene but Mortejo was already taken to the town's Maningo District Hospital where he was declared dead on arrival. The victim had two gunshot wounds, one in his face and the other in the torso.

Andrade also said he heard two gunshots shortly after Mortejo went out to follow Sampan who said she got out of the bar only to relieve herself.

Sampan said that while she was urinating by the roadside, a multicab suddenly arrived and even brushed her thigh slightly as it maneuvered to park at the videoke bar.

She said she was already drunk at the time and had a hard time getting up after relieving herself but she heard Mortejo talking to somebody in the multicab.

When she finally got up, Sampan said she heard gunshots prompting her to go where it came from. She said she just saw Mortejo already lying bloodied on the ground.

A witness had confirmed Sampan's testimony saying that he heard the victim's voice was raised while talking to the man in the multicab. The witness however failed to get the vehicle's plate number and how many were inside the multicab because its tinted windows were closed.

Guevarra said the traces of the vehicle's wheels showed that Mortejo fell on the ground about 20 meters from where Sampan did her business.

He theorized that there might be two men in the vehicle and that one of them could have shot Mortejo after an argument.

Mortejo served the San Francisco Police Station for over 25 years before he went for optional retirement in 2000. His wife will be arriving soon from abroad, Guevarra said. - Norvie S. Misa