Shooting hurts ex-cager by a finger

A former basketball varsity player of one of the universities in the city was injured in the finger when two motorcycle-riding men shot him several times while he was waiting for his ex-girlfriend in barangay Zapatera yesterday dawn.

Homicide investigator SPO1 Rogelio Nedamo identified the victim as Archie Antigua, 23, and resident of Purok 5, barangay Nangka in Consolacion town.

Though the shooting happened at dawn, the victim accompanied by his uncle, Ernie Antigua, decided to report the matter to the police yesterday past 11 a.m. and told the police two men onboard a black motorcycle opened fire at him.

He described the driver as bald, while the backrider who was the one who shot at him was wearing a bonnet. He could not identify them both, he said.

Archie told the police that earlier that night, he received a text message from his former girlfriend (name withheld) - who he said he had broken up with two years ago - asking him to meet her at the said place.

According to Nedamo, when Archie arrived at the agreed spot he reportedly received another text from his ex-girlfriend asking for the color of the shirt he is wearing. The victim did not hesitate in answering the query and texted back the answer.

Minutes later, the perpetrators arrived and without a word opened fire at him several times prompting him to hide for cover but found out that he was hit in the left index finger.

As soon as the perpetrators left the area, the victim quickly boarded a passing taxicab and ordered the driver to bring him to the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center.

While being attended to in the hospital, he reportedly received another text message from his former girlfriend asking why he did not show up at the area.

The Homicide Section could not yet ascertain if the woman has something to do with the shooting or if it could have been another incident of drive-by shooting by trigger-happy criminals. - Edwin Ian Melecio/MEEV