Wednesday, August 27, 2008 Less than an hour apart, 2 men who’ve had brushes with the law shot dead By Jovy S. Taghoy Sun.Star Staff Reporter
A 29-YEAR-OLD driver who earlier accused some policemen of extortion died in an ambush along Cabatingan St., Barangay Kamagayan, Cebu City last night.
SPO1 Roger Nedamo, team leader of the responding Homicide Section investigators, identified the victim as Esteban S. Albeos, 29. The attack occurred at 6:20 p.m.
Albeos’ companion Allan Catalan, a suspected drug pusher previously arrested by the Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Bureau, was taken to Chong Hua Hospital for treatment of his gunshot wounds.
Albeos had earlier filed a complaint against some policemen assigned at the Parian Police Station, whom he accused of extortion.
Less than an hour after the attack in Kamagayan, a man who was reportedly earlier detained at the Pardo Police Station for theft, was gunned down along F. Jaca St., Poblacion Pardo.
He was killed at 7 p.m.
In the first attack, Albeos and Catalan, both Kamagayan residents, had just boarded a silver Honda CRV (GSM 201) after playing basketball when they were attacked.
Albeos drove the car. Catalan occupied the front seat.
Waited
With Albeos and Catalan inside the car were Catalan’s older brother Jun-jun and his wife, Juana. They survived unhurt.
According to the initial investigation by Nedamo’s team, the car was traveling on the barangay road heading towards Junquera St. when a man got off from a black motorcycle.
As soon as the car passed by him, gunshots rang out.
Some witnesses told investigators that the gunman shot Albeos before turning the gun on Catalan.
Two bullet holes marred the windshield on the driver’s side, and four others were seen in the left side of the car.
The rear windshield was shattered.
The car swerved into a gutter, nearly crashing into a concrete fence.
Nedamo said his team is still verifying reports that one of those inside the car managed to return fire.
Encounter
Thirteen spent shells were recovered in the crime scene—10 from a .45 caliber and three from a 9mm. A slug of undetermined caliber was also found by the Scene of the Crime Operations (Soco) 7 team.
Nedamo said one of the angles they are looking into is that the attack may be related to the illegal drug trade.
His team is investigating further to uncover the motive and identify the perpetrators.
Nedamo said that Albeos was the man who filed a complaint against some policemen at the Parian Police Station for alleged robbery and extortion before the Office of the Ombudsman–Visayas a few months ago.
SPO4 Felomino Quinto, a desk officer of the Parian Police Station, said in a telephone interview last night that Albeos’ mother Gloria was arrested last July for allegedly pushing illegal drugs.
Albeos accused the police operatives of extortion.
Catalan, Nedamo said, was previously arrested by the CIIB for a drug-related offense.
Theft suspect
In the Pardo shooting, Nedamo identified the victim as Jomar de Guzman, 23, who resided in Barangay Ermita. He died of multiple gunshot wounds in the head and body.
Nedamo and PO1 Lou Pagara, who investigated the attack, found 12 empty shells and two cartridges from .45 caliber. Two slugs were also recovered at the crime scene.
Nedamo said that based on the information gathered at the Pardo Police Station, de Guzman was released from detention at 4 p.m. yesterday after the complainant decided not to press charges.
De Guzman was arrested at 1 p.m. last Friday for allegedly stealing a trisikad owned by Salve Dacalos in Barangay Inayawan.
The trisikad was recovered from de Guzman’s possession.
At 4 p.m. yesterday, PO3 Edmund Tiempo released de Guzman after Dacalos decided not to file a complaint against him.
Instead of going home, de Guzman was seen roaming around Poblacion Pardo.
He was attacked while riding a habal-habal or motorcycle-for-hire.
The gunman, who was on board a motorcycle, shot de Guzman.
When de Guzman fell from the motorcycle, the gunman disembarked from his motorcycle and finished him off with more shots.
Nedamo urged the driver of the habal-habal to show up at the Homicide Section to help the police in the investigation.
