Monday, April 16, 2007 ‘Frat war’ kills cop, 3 others
FOUR persons, including a policeman, were killed in a dawn shootout involving members of warring fraternities in Barangay Pagsabungan, Mandaue City yesterday.
The shots rang out around 2:30 a.m., not far from a benefit dance in Lower Hermag.
Luis Dimpas III, reportedly an Alpha Kappa Rho (Akrho) member, died on the spot, while PO1 Herminio Caylan of the Regional Mobile Group expired at the Cortes General Hospital.
Caylan, a native of Pinamungajan town, temporarily lived in Hermag.
Edna Inowe, 33 and Jomar Cañete, 21, also died before reaching the hospital.
An injured Phoebe Lumagas, 24, was brought to the Mandaue City Hospital.
Basak Police Station Chief Siegfred Torribio told Sun.Star they had difficulty piecing together what happened because nobody was willing to reveal anything to them.
He went to the crime scene at least three times yesterday in an attempt to gather more information.
Dimpas, 27, allegedly shot Jomar, a member of BRP, a fraternity that Torribio said is associated with Tau Gamma Phi.
Torribio said Caylan responded to the shooting but did not call them for back-up.
He said Dimpas and Jomar had a disagreement but he failed to establish what it was about.
Upon noticing the commotion, Caylan fired at Dimpas, whose companions reportedly shot him dead.
Inowe, who was at the benefit dance, was hit in the back by a stray bullet.
PNP Crime Laboratory Medico-legal Officer Benjamin Lara told Sun.Star that Caylan suffered gunshot wounds in the head, abdomen and foot. He said the abdomen wound was the most fatal, as it damaged vital organs.
He also noted tattooing around the wound above the ear, indicating that Caylan was shot at close range.
Two bullets, on the hand, tore through Dimpas’ right lung.
Jomar had a bullet wound in the chest.
Lara noted the bullet’s downward trajectory, which could mean that Jomar’s assailant was positioned above him.
Inowe had a damaged left lung and a fractured collar bone.
Caylan’s wife refused an interview at the Rolling Hills Memorial Chapels yesterday afternoon.
But Lloyd Cañete told Sun.Star that their mother told Jomar, who was already tipsy after drinking liquor at home, not to leave the house Saturday night.
Lloyd said he was unaware if Jomar owns a gun. The Cañete family will just wait for the police investigation’s results.
PO1 Joel Osabel, who was among the responding policemen, said nobody from Lower Hermag was willing to have their statements taken.
He said they heard people talk about what happened, but no one obliged when he approached them to ask for their account of the incident.
“Nagdinul-itay man gyud kuno (Those involved fired at each other at close range),” he added.
Osabel said it was the first time in the area for fraternity-related violence to claim four persons’ lives. (AAG)
