Two shot dead in separate incidents

CEBU, Philippines - Two people died after they were shot in separate incidents in the city recently while a woman was injured after she was shot by a neighbor who was aiming for a thief.

Two of the suspects in the separate shooting incidents were arrested.

In Barangay Carreta, at past 6 pm last Wednesday, victim Flora Villarubia, 44, sustained a gunshot wound in her body after the shot fired by Dennis Maravillas, 32, hit her.

Villarubia was reportedly walking at the roadside to supposedly buy food when a burst of gunfire was heard nearby. She fell down when the bullet hit her.

Maravillas voluntarily surrendered to the responding police officers.

The suspect, who was armed with an unlicensed 9 mm pistol, said he fired a warning shot while chasing a thief who stole something from his house. The thief got away and the bullet instead hit Villarubia, who was then taken to the hospital.

An hour later, a man who tried to stab his neighbor was shot dead instead in Barangay Tagbao.

Virgilio Camonias, 57, sustained several gunshot wounds on his body which caused his death. He was shot by Joey Patindol, 34, who later surrendered to the police.

Camonias, who was armed with a bolo, was reportedly yelling when he went looking for Patindol in the latter’s house.

When Patindol opened the door, Camonias allegedly swung his bolo towards Pa-tindol but hit the bamboo wall instead.

Patindol, who was reportedly armed with a caliber .357 pistol, shot Camonias, who was also trying to hit Patindol again with his bolo.

Patindol shot the victim thrice, resulting to the victim’s death. The suspect was arrested and is now detained.

Meanwhile, a dispatcher died after he was shot repeatedly by a lone gunman along N. Bacalso Avenue, Barangay Bulacao midday yesterday.

Loreto Gabuya, 24, died immediately due to gunshot wounds to the back, head, shoulder and chest.

SPO1 Ruth Violango of the Homicide Section narrated that Gabuya was at the South Highway when a man on a black XRM motorcycle drove past him. The motorcycle had no plate number.

The man, whose face was reportedly concealed with his helmet and was wearing a black jacket, approached Gabuya and shot him on his back.

Gabuya managed to run but slumped a few meters away. The assailant chased him and fired two more shots, hitting the victim on the head, left shoulder, and right side of the chest. Gabuya died then and there.

Violango said they recovered three empty shells of caliber .45 pistol and a slug of an unknown caliber from the crime scene.

Violango said the victim served as an asset of the barangay tanods in Bulacao, which could be the motive behind the attack.

“Daghan na daw nadakpan nga kawatan ang mga tanod tungod sa pag-report aning biktima. Posible sad naa ni siya’y nakaaway na kakumpetensiya sa dispatching. (Many thieves have been arrested by the tanods because of the victim’s tips. It’s also possible that he had a fight with a fellow dispatcher),” the police officer added.

Violango revealed that just this week, a man with the same built as Gabuya’s assailant tried to shoot the victim who managed to evade the attack at that time.  (FREEMAN)