Lawyer shot dead at gas station

MANILA, Philippines - A lawyer was shot dead at a gasoline station by armed men on a motorcycle as the victim was on his way home in Quezon City Tuesday night.

Joel Descalar, 50, of Saint Ignatius Village, Barangay Saint Ignatius, died on the spot from three gunshot wounds in the face and two more in the neck from a .45-caliber pistol.

Chief Inspector Ariel Capocao, deputy chief of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit of the Quezon City Police District, said the victim was shot while he was trying to refuel his Nissan Frontier Navarra (PIL-509) at past 10 p.m. at the Shell gasoline station along Katipunan Road.

Investigator SPO2 Neil Garnace said gasoline boys noted two unidentified men who were involved in the shooting. The suspects were riding aboard a Honda Wave motorcycle (PI-5653). The workers told police that the suspects wore helmets but had no cover over their faces. At least one of the suspects was armed.

The victim’s family said the laywer was on his way home from a business meeting at the Shangri-La mall in Mandaluyong City.

Garnace said the victim had just rolled down his window when the suspects appeared riding aboard the motorcycle. After the suspects stopped beside the driver’s side of the vehicle, a gunman started shooting at the victim at close range then the vehicle quickly sped off.

Garnace said they are checking the ownership of the motorcycle with the Land Transportation Office and have requested the gas station copies of the footage taken by their four closed-circuit television cameras. He noted the possibility that the killing was work-related.