Dumaguete’s 1st shooting incident for 2016 councilor’s brother-in-law gunned down

CEBU, Philippines – A brother-in-law of Dumaguete City Councilor Nilo Sayson was shot to death Monday evening, the first shooting incident in the city this 2016 that took place in front of Botica Anthony just across the road where the Negros Oriental Provincial Hospital is located.

The victim, 51-year-old Robert Sumalinog, a resident of Barangay Banilad, this city, was the husband of Teresita, the younger sister of the councilor.

Eyewitnesses said Sumalinog was inside his car, waiting for his wife who was inside the pharmacy to buy medicines, at around 6:05 p.m. when a lone gunman riding a motorcycle came up and fired several shots to the head and body of the victim.

Sumalinog was declared dead on arrival by the attending physicians at the Silliman University Medical Center Foundation. He sustained several gunshot wounds on his body and head from a .45-caliber pistol.

The witnesses, however, did not have a good look of the gunman who was wearing a scarf, and the incident went on fast in less than a minute, after which the assailant fled southward to the city proper. Another witness said the fleeing gunman hit momentarily a tricycle but continued his way.

Councilor Sayson said he could not believed his brother-in-law would be killed because the latter was a good man, and without enemies.

Superintendent Jovito Atanacio, Dumaguete City Police chief, said motive of the incident and the identity of the gunman could not yet be determined at this time, while the family of the victim was still in a state of shock.  (FREEMAN)