CITOM enforcer faces raps for shooting man

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu City Police Office director Patrocinio Comendador said they will be filing a case for homicide against Raul Langbid, the CITOM enforcer who allegedly shot a man dead last Wednesday night since the family of the victim is pressing charges against him.

Langbid and Orson “Sonny” Ornopia, allegedly had an argument after Langbid pulled someone over a traffic violation in Barangay Parian and Ornopia shot Langbid in the right shoulder.

Langbid claimed that he only acted in self-defense when he tried to grab Ornopia’s gun and it went off, hitting Ornopia in the abdomen and killing him.

Comendador said they are still looking for witnesses who can corroborate the statements of Langbid.

Ornopia, 34, ran for councilor in Tabogon town under the Nacionalista Party but lost. He temporarily resided in Barangay Tabok, Mandaue City. 

Police also received several derogatory reports against Ornopia.

Police claim that Ornopia robbed two people, including a foreigner, hours before he was killed by Langbid.

Sr. Insp. Michael Anthony Bastes, Fuente Polie chief and former chief of the Theft and Robbery Section of the Cebu City Police Office said that Ornopia also recently challenged a policeman during a checkpoint and accidentally hit himself with a gun during a fight with his girlfriend.

Ornopia has also long been sought by the police for allegedly stealing a Toyota Hi-Ace van last year from the Toyota’s stockyard in the North Reclamation Area. He reportedly used the van in staging several robberies in the city. The suspect was also allegedly known to be a drug user.

Bastes said that few hours before he was killed, Ornopia unsuccessfully tried to rob the marketing executive of a wine shop in Barangay Kamputhaw.

Annabel Mirambel was reportedly on her way to the shop when Ornopia, who was driving a white multicab with license plate numbers GBD-381, pointed a gun at her and demanded her shoulder bag.

But after the suspect saw there were many people around, he sped off and left the victim.

Last Tuesday dawn outside a pension house in the same barangay, Ornopia also allegedly robbed Australian Hadrian Mitchell of his bag which contained his laptop. The victim reportedly gave up the bag when the suspect reportedly pointed a gun at him. 

The white multicab Ornopia drove last Wednesday has the same license plate numbers as the one in the botched robbery.