Alleged gangster slain in Malabon

MANILA, Philippines - Four unidentified men shot dead a man reported to be a gangster near his house in Malabon City yesterday morning.

Patrick Sella, 21, a resident of Sitio 6 in Barangay Catmon, died on the spot from five bullet wounds. Police officers linked him to a number of crimes in the area.

Senior Police Officer 1 Eduardo Tribiana said Sella was walking at the old dumpsite on his way home from his mother’s house in adjacent Barangay Tugatog when he was waylaid at around 9:40 a.m.

Sella tried to run, but his attackers cornered him and shot him twice in the head, once in the chest, abdomen and left shoulder, police said.

Witnesses told investigators that the gunmen were not from their area but expressed elation over the death of Sella, whom they described as a toughie and reportedly involved in a number of crimes in their village.

Police recovered from the crime scene shells for a .45 caliber pistol. Investigators were still trying to determine yesterday the motive for Sella’s murder.