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Wednesday, October 04, 2006
Man released by cops, shot dead
By Jovy S. Taghoy
CEBU CITY -- Thirty minutes after walking out of a police station detention cell, an ex-convict was shot dead by motorcycle-riding men in Cebu City Monday night.
Police identified the victim as Epitacio Ocariza Jr., 22, of Sitio Royal, Barangay Cogon-Pardo.
Ocariza was held for a theft case last Friday but was released after the owner of the bag he snatched decided not to file charges against him.
The killing took place at 9:10 p.m. at the corner of J. Tabora and Dacalos Streets, near the barangay hall of Poblacion-Pardo.
This is also about 150 meters away from the Pardo Police Station where Ocariza was earlier detained for theft.
Policemen from Pardo led by its station chief, Senior Inspector Alexis Relado, said they arrived at the crime scene in three minutes, but failed to arrest any of the four suspects who were reportedly riding two motorcycles.
Ocariza died of multiple gunshot wounds in his head and body, apparently from a .45 pistol, as indicated by the evidence recovered at the crime scene.
Responding Pardo policemen, homicide investigators and personnel from the Scene of the Crime Operations (Soco) in Central Visayas recovered 10 empty shells of a .45 pistol, one deformed slug and one metallic fragment.
Records at the Bagong Buhay Rehabilitation Center relayed by SJO1 Lovely Lim revealed that Ocariza was jailed for a robbery case last November 19, 2005. He was released on probation last June 14, 2006.
Vigilante-style
The manner of execution was vigilante-style, but Homicide Section Chief Erlando Metante declined to conclude the killing was carried out by vigilantes.
Since December 22, 2004, at least 168 people have been killed vigilante-style in Cebu City.
Ocariza was standing at the roadside when the suspects arrived on two motorcycles.
One of the motorcycles approached the victim and the back-rider shot him several times.
Ocariza tried to run away but the attackers caught up with him and finished him off with several shots.
Motive
Metante said they are still determining the motive in the killing.
Ocariza was detained at the Pardo Police Station for stealing the bag of a physician last Friday night.
The woman doctor, however, forgave Ocariza and decided not to pursue the filing of a theft complaint, Metante said.
Pardo Police Station Chief Relado, in a separate interview, confirmed the arrest and detention of Ocariza since last Friday night.
He said they had waited for the female physician (name withheld) to file the complaint last Monday.
Past 8 p.m., Relado said the doctor called him up to inform him that she will no longer file a complaint against Ocariza.
At 8:40 p.m., Relado said they released Ocariza.
Relado said he even gave P18 to Ocariza for his fare.
He brushed off insinuations that they were delayed in responding to the alarm.
"In three minutes we were at the crime scene. We were the first to respond because I heard the gunshots," Relado said.
Relado said he sent his miscellaneous team to conduct a hot pursuit operation in Barangay Inayawan where the suspects reportedly headed. The operation, however, proved futile, he said.
Teener killed
In a separate incident, a 15-year-old boy was shot dead by an unidentified gunman at 3 a.m. at the Food Street along Osmeña Blvd., Barangay Capitol Site.
Homicide investigators found the body of Ritchman Villamor of Sitio Sampaguita lying in front of a roadside with a gunshot wound in his back.
Initial information gathered by the investigators revealed that the gunman was walking in the area when Villamor's companion, who was only identified as a certain Charlie, struck the suspect with a fluorescent lamp.
At this, the man retaliated by pulling out a handgun and shot Villamor once. His body was taken to the Cebu Rolling Hills for autopsy. (Sun.Star Cebu)
(October 4, 2006 issue)
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