Monday, April 02, 2007 Soldier shot dead while texting in Basilan By Ulysses E. Israel
A LONE gunman shot and killed a member of the Philippine Army in Isabela City, Basilan province, the military's Task Force Zamboanga reported Sunday.
Inspector Lorante Villano, chief of investigation and intelligence division of the Isabela City Police, identified the victim as Sariul Tamma Jusay, a resident of Sitio Pangaraan, Barangay of Cabunbata, Isabela City.
Jusay, who was shot noon of March 30, was assigned with Task Force Zamboanga and was reportedly an integree, being a former Moro National Liberation Front member.
Task Force Zamboanga is a unit of the Philippine Army tasked to provide security for entry and exit points of Zamboanga City.
Police said Jusay sustained a gunshot wound at the back of his head, which caused his immediate death.
Recovered from the crime scene was one spent shell of caliber .45 pistol about three feet away from the fallen victim.
The victim was standing in front of a store, reportedly seen texting with his mobile phone, when the gunman approached him and shot him at close range, the police said.
The victim was not in uniform and believed unarmed when he was gunned down.
The Isabela City Police Office said one of the motives being eyed behind the killing of Jusay is that it may be a part of a campaign by disgruntled parties out to discredit the leadership of Isabela City Police Chief Parson Juljani Asadil.
Another angle being looked into by police investigators is "love angle." The police investigator on the case, Police Officer1 Marlon Look, said the text messages on the victim's cellular phone were messages from a woman who was telling him that her husband was not around and she wanted to meet him.
He said the text messages could be considered as possible leads to identifying the perpetrator of the crime.
Another official who requested that his name be withheld however claimed the local policemen are on the alert against threats to their lives in retaliation from disgruntled parties affected by their operations. "We have created enemies by virtue of being law enforcers and we received threats from those who want us killed, transferred or relieved," he said.
"It is possible that it could be the handiwork by those who were affected by our police operations out to embarrass us," he said.
