2 dead, 3 wounded in Leyte ambush
TACLOBAN CITY, Philippines — Two people died and three others were wounded after armed men fired at a vehicle traversing an uphill section of Barangay Salvacion in Albuera, Leyte yesterday, the Leyte Police Provincial Office confirmed.
The LPPO said Maria Velos and Sherwin Gumop-as died at the scene from gunshots to the head and neck.
Emergency responders rushed Daniel Gumop-as, John Carlo Porneto and a 17-year-old passenger to the Ormoc District Hospital for treatment.
LPPO chief Col. Celerino Sacro Jr. said police have launched a manhunt for the killers. Witnesses told investigators that the armed men fled toward the mountains after the attack at 7 a.m.
Sacro said Maj. Franklin Romeo Parangan Jr. is leading the pursuit operations conducted by the Albuera town police, SWAT teams, and other responding units.
Investigators have yet to establish a motive. They said Velos was the common-law wife of Barangay Salvacion chairman Walter Taripe.
Sacro told The STAR that more than 90 police officers have been deployed to the province’s 3rd and 4th districts in the light of the approaching barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections.
He assured residents that efforts are underway to identify and arrest the assailants.
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