|
Friday, November 11, 2005
Witnesses tag 'killers' of Cebu businessman
CEBU CITY -- More than a month after the fatal shooting of Filipino-Chinese businessman Wilson Yu, police investigators identified three suspected assailants.
"We are convinced by the identification of the suspects, based on circumstantial evidence linking these people to the crime," said Senior Superintendent Augusto Marquez Jr., chief of the Regional Intelligence and Investigation Division (RIID) and a member of the Task Force Wilson Yu.
Marquez said the task force, headed by Senior Superintendent Lani-o Nerez, is gathering evidence to streng-then the case that will be filed against the suspects.
Of several motives they checked, money came out as the strongest possible reason for the killing of Yu last Oct. 6.
Marquez, however, said also that the task force is not setting aside other potential motives: a business rivalry, labor conflicts and gambling.
Yu, 45, died of multiple gunshot wounds inside the emergency room of a private hospital, shortly after three motorcycle-riding men ambushed him in Pilit, Cabancalan, Mandaue City.
He was driving his Mercedes Benz, accompanied by his employee Santiago Olivar, when attacked.
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo ordered top police officials, including PNP Chief Arturo Lomibao, to solve the killing.
Yu was Arroyo's political supporter and campaigner in Cebu.
Yu was also reportedly a supporter of Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago, since 1992 when she sought the presidency.
Chief Superintendent Eduardo Gador, Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 director, earlier gave the task force one week to come up with results in the investigation.
The task force is composed of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, the Mandaue City Police Office, RIID and the National Bureau of Investigation 7.
Gador asked Nerez, PRO 7 deputy director for operations, to supervise the task force to ensure better coordination among the agencies.
Marquez said that two witnesses have helped the police identify one of the suspected assailants.
He added that Yu's family, who initially hesitated to cooperate, is now coordinating with the task force to help solve the killing.
The investigation indicates that the assailants were guns-for-hire. The task force has yet to identify the mastermind. (JST of Sun.Star Cebu/Sunnex)
(November 11, 2005 issue)
Write letter to the editor. Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board. Click here. |
|
|
|
[return to top]
[home]
|
|
Arroyo hits media anew over focus on bad news