Thursday, May 01, 2008 Girl, 10, wounded as killers gun down target in ‘drug hit’ By Jovy S. Taghoy Sun.Star Staff Reporter
A JOBLESS man was shot dead after six persons chased him and a companion from Talisay City to Cebu City last night.
A 10-year-old girl was injured in the foot during the shooting, which police said was drug-related.
PO3 Geoffrey Gutual of the Cebu City Police Office Homicide Section identified the fatality as Jimbo Palang, alias Popoy, 23, single, of Villabulsita, Barangay Bulacao, Cebu City.
Palang suffered multiple gunshot wounds in the body and head.
SPO2 Rey Cuyos, Homicide Section team leader, said Palang and habal-habal (motorcycle-for-hire) driver Giovanni Jimenez were shot past 6 p.m. yesterday.
In a mobile phone interview with Sun.Star Cebu, Jimenez said that prior to the attack, Palang asked to be brought to Bulacao, Talisay City.
When they arrived in Sitio Alegre, Jimenez said Palang told him to wait, and he never bothered asking his neighbor why.
While they were smoking cigarettes outside a store, three men approached Jimenez and asked him if he was Palang.
Jimenez, 27, said no and pointed at Palang.
At this instance, the three men pulled out handguns and began shooting at the two of them. Jimenez said he and Palang fled in different directions.
Firing as they went after them, two men allegedly ran after Jimenez, while four others chased Palang.
Jump
Zigzagging to avoid the hail of bullets, Jimenez said he shook off his pursuers by jumping from a bridge.
He said he does not know the gunmen. He believed Palang was their target and that he was attacked just because he was with him.
The men, he said, were armed with .45 pistols and Ingram submachine pistols.
Initial investigation by Cuyos’ team indicated that only three men continued chasing and firing at Palang, whose dash to safety brought him to Sitio Ufiba, Bulacao, Cebu City.
Dodging bullets, Palang, who was already wounded, entered the home of the 10-year-old girl to hide from the gunmen.
A stray bullet hit the foot of the girl, who was brought to the Cebu City Medical Center for treatment.
Gutual said Palang managed to run outside the house, but slumped dead 150 meters away because of his gunshot wounds.
Palang’s body was brought to San Fernando Funeral Homes.
Responding policemen found several empty bullet shells of a .45 pistol along Palang’s trail.
Cuyos said Cebu City and Talisay City homicide investigators are jointly investigating the incident.
