Sunday, July 13, 2008 3 men killed in just 8 hours
THREE people were gunned down in a span of eight hours last Friday in Cebu City, raising speculations that summary executions have returned in the city.
Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) Director Patrocinio Comendador, however, was quick to brush these speculations off.
Although the three killings were carried out by men on motorcycles, he said, he could not find any pattern in the attacks.
The killings took place in Barangays Labangon, Tejero and Talamban.
In the Labangon shooting, Comendador said, Homicide Section investigators are looking into a love triangle as a possible motive, while in Talamban, a drug-related deal is one of the angles the police are trying to examine.
Comendador, however, is inclined to believe that the killing in Tejero was a case of summary execution.
The victim, Tomas Carbonilla, 52, was allegedly once jailed for a robbery case.
Between December 2004 and 2007, at least 181 men, majority of them with past or pending criminal cases, have been gunned down and killed in Cebu City. Nearly all of the cases remain unsolved.
Interaction
First to fall last Friday was a piano repairman, after a lone gunman shot and killed him at the corner of Katipunan St. and T. Masong Private Road in Barangay Labangon, Cebu City shortly before noon.
About two hours later, Carbonilla was also gunned down in Barangay Tejero. He made a living by watching cars for a fee.
In the first case, Norbert Sumicad, who owned a piano repair shop in Labangon, died after getting shot in the head.
According to the initial investigation by PO3 Geoffrey Gutual, Sumicad was killed around 11:30 a.m. shortly after two men on a motorcycle arrived at his repair shop.
One of the two men went inside the shop and inquired about Sumicad’s home service.
Sumicad reportedly agreed to repair the man’s piano. When the victim was about to board his own motorcycle, one of the perpetrators shot Sumicad in the head.
He was taken to the Cebu City Medical Center but died hours later.
Witness
Comendador said that a witness is helping the Homicide Section in searching for the gunman. A complaint may be filed soon against the gunman and his accomplice.
At 1:30 p.m. of the same day, Carbonilla, 52, was killed at the corner of Gaisano and Second Sts. in Barangay Tejero.
Carbonilla, who lived in Sitio Villagonzalo II, died on the spot after getting shot in the face.
SPO1 Rey Cuyos of the Homicide Section said Carbonilla was standing by the side of the road talking to Ben Bosikyas when two men, who shared a motorcycle, arrived and shot the victim.
Cuyos said his team is conducting a background check on Carbonilla to find information that could reveal what the motive was behind the attack.
The Homicide Section is verifying a report that Carbonilla was once jailed for a robbery case.
Overtaken
Six hours after Carbonilla’s killing, a messenger/collector of a courier service was gunned down along Gov. Cuenco Ave., Sitio Nasipit in Barangay Talamban.
Homicide investigators identified the victim as Buddy Denapo, 31.
Denapo was driving a white multicab (YDL 601) heading towards Talamban proper. As he passed by the area near Doña Rita Village, a speeding motorcycle boarded by two men drew near the driver’s side of the multicab.
The motorcycle passenger shot Denapo once, causing the multicab to stop.
The motorcycle stopped in front of the multicab and the passenger alighted, then pumped one more bullet into the victim at close range. The shots wounded Denapo in the head, with one bullet ripping through his right eye. He died on the spot.
The gunman went back to the motorcycle, which then sped towards Talamban proper.
Denapo’s body was taken to Cebu Rolling Hills Memorial Chapels on A.S. Fortuna St.
Test
Homicide investigators and a team from the Scene of the Crime Operations (Soco) 7 recovered a black bag from the driver’s seat that contained assorted items, plus one deformed slug and a metallic fragment near Denapo’s body.
Comendador said he ordered Homicide Section Chief Mario Monilar to request the crime laboratory for a cross-matching test of the empty shells and slugs recovered at the crime scene last Friday night and the ones recovered earlier this year, when another messenger was killed in the same area.
He said he would like to find out if the two incidents were related. (JST/With FVQ of Sun.Star Superbalita)
