Man kills self after shooting NBI asset

MANILA, Philippines - A man who killed a vendor who served as a civilian agent of the National Bureau of Investigation later shot himself in the thigh by accident as he fled the scene of the crime on a motorcycle in Binondo, Manila, police said yesterday.

Police Officer 3 Rommel Del Rosario of the Manila Police District (MPD) homicide section said the unidentified gunman – described to be 5’7” tall and bearing a tattoo on his right shoulder – died after he shot himself with the same gun he used to kill Diosdado Soriano, 43, a resident of Wagas Street in Tondo.

The gunman died upon arrival at the Jose Reyes Memorial Medical Center, while Soriano died at the Mary Johnston Hospital.

In his report, Del Rosario said the incident happened at around 12:15 a.m. in front of the Police Assistance Center at the corner of C.M. Recto Avenue and Soler street.

Initial investigation showed Soriano was tending to his merchandise when a man approached him and shot him once in the head. The shooter then fled on a motorcycle with a waiting rider.

But while the suspects were heading to Benavidez street, the gunman fell off the motorcycle with a bullet wound in the right thigh. His companion fled, leaving him bleeding on the pavement.

A witness, Michael Tabang, later identified him as the man who had shot Soriano although the .45-caliber pistol he used was not found in his possession.

Police recovered two magazines loaded with .45 caliber bullets from the suspect’s bag, which will be cross-matched with shells retrieved from the crime scene.

Probers said they will conduct follow-up operations to determine the motive behind the attack on Soriano as well as identify and arrest the suspect’s cohort.