Tuesday, October 09, 2007 Tagged by police from description of witnesses; sketches out but names withheld
THE gunman in the drive-by shootings last week has been identified by the police based on the descriptions given by the witnesses.
The Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) also released yesterday the cartographic sketches of the gunman and the motorcycle driver.
CCPO Director Patrocinio Comen-dador Jr. and Homicide Section Chief Mario Monilar, in a press conference, said they are now gathering affidavits and other documents needed in the filing of charges against the gunman and the driver.
Both Comendador and Monilar, however, requested the media not to disclose the identity of the gunman yet as the CCPO is tracking down his whereabouts.
The gunman, Comendador and Monilar said, is a member of a fraternity. His name has been implicated in several murder and homicide cases in the city. He is believed to be the hitman of the fraternity.
Warrants
Monilar said the gunman has standing warrants of arrest for his previous criminal cases.
He said the CCPO came up with the cartographic sketches from the descriptions given by at least four witnesses in the three shootings last Thursday night in the areas on V. Gullas St., Sanciangko St. and on Ascension St.
The shooting spree left three people dead and injured for others. The fatalities were identified as Lawrence Morados, 22; Lord Stephen Pasco Vasquez, 18; and William John Aznar Jr., 24.
Aznar’s mother Consuelo told Sun.Star Cebu yesterday that her family is considering coming up with cash reward for the immediate arrest of the perpetrators.
The descriptions made the police believe that the three shootings were carried out by one gunman. The same gunman was also identified in the Sept. 21 shooting at the corner of Jakosalem and Sanciangko Sts., Pari-an.
Full force
Monilar, in his special report submitted to Comendador yesterday, said all the pieces of evidence gathered in the three shootings were submitted to the PNP 7 Crime Laboratory for cross-matching, to see if the slugs came from the same gun.
Monilar said once the pieces of evidence are completed, charges will be filed against the gunman and the driver.
For his part, Comendador said the CCPO is applying the “full force of the law” against members of fraternities who commit crimes.
He, however, clarified that the police will not stereotype all members of fraternities, saying “we will deal with the case based on their individual offenses not as an organization.”
Late afternoon yesterday, Cebu City Vice Mayor Michael Rama, who heads the Police Coordinating Advisory Council, called for a conference with Comendador to know about the actions taken by the police and how far they have gone in the investigation.
Comendador told reporters before the meeting that they are intensifying preventive patrols, saturation drives and checkpoint operations in the different areas in the city.
He also tasked Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Bureau Chief George Ylanan to come up with an updated list of fraternity members with criminal cases and those with standing warrants of arrest. (JST)
