|
Thursday, September 29, 2005
96-year-old woman shot dead at home
By Mia E. Abellana
Sun.Star Staff Reporter
A 96-year-old woman was shot dead while her daughter, 57, survived the attack in their hut in Barangay Rizal, Pinamungajan Cebu at dawn last Monday.
The two were believed to be practicing witchcraft.
Another elderly woman, who had just sold a lot in San Remigio, Cebu, also died from a gunshot wound also last Monday.
In Pinamungajan, Beatriz Gempesao died on the spot from a gunshot wound in the head.
In the chest
Her daughter Lilia Ruiz was hit in the chest. The bullet went through her back.
Insp. Edgardo Torres told Sun.Star Cebu they have yet to confirm if the two practiced witchcraft, as what the victims’ neighbors in Sitio Tugas, Barangay Rizal told them.
Sitio Tugas is about 10 kilometers away from the town proper.
Torres said that if it were true the victims were into witchcraft, it was possible the attacker was their victim and had sought revenge.
It’s also possible that one of Gempesao’s grandchildren was behind the shooting because of a fight they had.
The mother and daughter were inside their hut when someone knocked on the door at 3 a.m. asking for a cure of a stomachache.
When Gempesao opened the door, a person wearing a cloth mask barged in and shot her in the head. The assailant turned to Ruiz and fired before running away.
Torres said that even with her wound, Ruiz was surprisingly strong and even kept talking until she was brought to the Pinamungajan District Hospital.
She was later transferred to a hospital in Cebu City because of profuse bleeding.
Torres said he talked to Ruiz about the neighbors’ stories, but she declined to talk about what could have triggered the attack. She said she did not see the attacker’s face because of the gunman’s mask.
Neighbors believed that Gempesao’s witchcraft would have saved her if she were not hit in the head. Torres said Gempesao was no ordinary woman. She still walked and remained healthy despite her old age.
In Barangay Canagahan, San Remigio, an 80-year-old widow was shot dead inside her hut, a day after she sold a lot for P5,000.
Diosdada Piañar Sumayang was found dead by her granddaughter at 6 a.m. last Monday.
Questioned
SPO1 Joe Jannesky Inot said the victim had a gunshot wound in the head.
Police invited the victim’s son Eleazar Sumayang, 25, for questioning.
Relatives pointed to him as the suspect. They said he and his mother had been fighting because he opposed the sale of the lot.
He also allegedly threatened to kill her. Inot clarified, though, that Eleazar is not yet a suspect.
Police found a footprint and fingerprints in the blood that stained the floor of Diosdada’s hut. These will be analyzed in the investigation.
(September 28, 2005 issue)
Write letter to the editor. Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board. Click here. |
|
[return to top]
[home]
[network page]
|
LOCAL NEWS
BUSINESS
OPINION
SPORTS
LIFESTYLE
FEATURE
SUPERBALITA
WEEKEND
|
