Man shot dead for stealing pipes

One of 10 men scavenging for scrap metal in an idle paper factory was shot dead by a security guard of the firm shortly after midnight yesterday in Valenzuela City.

Superintendent Richard Albano, District Intelligence and Investigation Division (DIID) chief, identified the victim through an identification card found in his possession as Rene Camposano, a worker at KWG Builders and resident of Caloocan City.

Camposano died of a single gunshot wound on the nape.

The suspects now being hunted by the police were identified as Abner Badajos and Joemer Oroso, both night-shift security guards at the Paper City Corp. (PAPCICOR) in Barangay Bagbaguin, Valenzuela City.

Scene of the Crime Operations (SOCO) team leader Senior Inspector Carlos Mendez recovered a screw driver and an adjustable monkey wrench from the crime scene.

Also retrieved from the guardhouse were two 12-gauge shotguns, belonging to the guards. They were sent to the PNP Crime Lab for ballistic testing.

PO3 Richard Bautista, officer-on-case, said at around 12:30 a.m., Alfredo Sandoval, a guard at PAPCICOR was informed by another guard about a wounded man he found lifeless in an abandoned building at the factory premises.

The two then called for police assistance.

Investigation showed the victim was one of 10 persons that trespassed into the private property. They were caught in the act by guards Badajos and Oroso sawing off steel pipes in the building.

Seeing the guards, one of the intruders fired a round from what looked like a homemade shotgun, but missed.

The guards retaliated hitting the fleeing Camposano on the nape at pointblank range.

The victim’s companions scampered to different directions and abandoned Camposano, who apparently died on the spot. – With Pete Laude