Burnham Park gunslaying of contractor baffles cops

BAGUIO CITY — Police are baffled by what they described as the seemingly "professional" killing of a contractor by unknown men wearing camouflage pants, at the Burnham Park here Saturday night.

Investigators said the gunslaying of 52-year-old Benjamin Aquino Jr., a city resident, was swift and "Sparrow-like," referring to communist hit men known as "Sparrows."

They added that such a manner of killing was uncommon in the city. This raised speculations that hired guns might have pulled it off.

Aquino bore two gunshot wounds in the face and a third one in the neck. His jaw was shattered.

A police team, led by Dr. John Tinoyan, medico-legal officer of the city police, and SPO3 Gabriel Isican, found five spent caliber .45 shells at the crime scene.

The gunmen, probers said, fired at Aquino as he was about to drive or park his Mitsubishi Galant with license plate CKJ 685 at about 8:15 p.m. The window on the driver’s seat bore two bullet holes, while two slugs were found embedded in the right side of the car.

The car’s engine was still running when investigators arrived at the scene.

Bystanders and skaters at Burnham Park claimed having seen three burly men wearing camouflage pants fleeing on foot after the gunslaying.

Police found a National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) identification card and a confidential agent badge in Aquino’s wallet.

Probers later learned that Aquino was involved in a pending case in the Baguio City court. No details about this were immediately available.