2 men eyed in QC shooting spree

MANILA, Philippines - The same two men are behind the shooting spree in Fairview, Quezon City over the weekend, randomly attacking four unrelated victims in less than five minutes, officials said yesterday.

The gunman was previously charged with frustrated homicide, robbery with homicide, car theft and assaulting a police officer, according to the Quezon City Police District (QCPD).

Chief Superintendent Richard Albano, QCPD director, has ordered a manhunt for the two men who perpetrated the shooting attacks in Barangay North Fairview.

Senior Inspector Maricar Taqueban, QCPD spokesperson, said the killings were perpetrated by the same two men, based on footage by surveillance cameras in the area.

“The four victims were killed in a span of less than five minutes,” said Inspector Elmer Monsalve, head of the homicide investigation section of the QCPD-Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit (CIDU).

All in a row

The shooting spree all happened along Regalado Avenue at past 1 a.m.

Rodelio dela Cruz, 34, was first to be shot. Cousins Gilmer Gabronino, 35, and Angelie Auguis, 35, were shot about 50 meters from the site where Dela Cruz was gunned down. Businesswoman Alodia Grace Go, 37, who had just gotten off a bus, was killed around 300 meters from the second victim.

“In fact, you could see all the four victims when you stand anywhere along the road,” Monsalve said in an interview.

“They (victims) were all positioned at the right side of the road when they were shot,” the police official said.

All the victims were killed using a 9mm pistol – eight fired cartridges from the same type of gun were found on the crime scene.

“The victims had no connection with each other except for two of the victims, who were cousins,” Taqueban said, noting the killings appeared to be random, with the victims shot at close range.

Thrill-seekers

Taqueban said the two assailants had no helmets and were both wearing black shirts. One of them had the shirt with the words “bad boy.”

Chief Rodel Marcelo, head of the QCPD-CIDU, said they were eyeing the possibility that the assailants did the crimes on whim.

Marcelo said the suspects could be “thrill-seekers,” who could also be into drugs.

The gunman, who had figured on the police radar in the past, is a resident of nearby Baker street.

Ballistics report

The police are still awaiting the results of the ballistics examination on the cartridges in the first three killings and those from another shooting in Barangay New Era that claimed the lives of Carlo Steve Diaz and a still unidentified man at around noon on Sunday.

A gunman also used a 9mm pistol in the latter incident and boarded a jeepney after the attack. Monsalve said it appeared that the latest killings were unrelated to the killings along Regalado Avenue.

At past 2 a.m. on Sunday, another man was also shot along Commonwealth Avenue with a .45 caliber pistol.

Dialogue

Taqueban said their policemen had initiated a dialogue with village officials in Barangay North Fairview to appease the community about the spate of killings in the area.

She said they also wanted to tap village authorities as “force multipliers” in crime prevention, adding that Albano has also ordered 24-hour checkpoints in the city.