FIVE people, including three children, were killed in a shooting incident in Milaor, Camarines Sur on Friday, November 5, 2021.

Police identified the victims as Romulo de Leon, 72; Ruby Britanico, 9; Gabby John Britanico, 6; Samuel Coabilla, 21; and Noel Agliones, 9.

Haygis Britanico, 7, was wounded in the incident.

Initial investigation revealed that the suspect, Arturo De Leon, barged into the house of the 72-year-old victim in Barangay Tarusan and shot him in the face and various parts of the body.

The Britanico siblings, who were living with Romulo, were also hit by stray bullets.

The suspect then proceeded to the victim’s neighbor, Luzviminda Coabilla, and started shooting, hitting Samuel and Agliones. He also threw a grenade into Coabilla’s residence.

Romulo was declared dead upon arrival in a hospital, while the four other victims died while undergoing treatment. Haygis survived the attack.

Milaor Municipal Police station chief Rosalinda Morales said the suspect and Romulo have a long-standing land dispute, which is being considered the motive in the shooting.

Philippine National Police Chief Guillermo Eleazar ordered the Police Regional Office-Bicol to conduct an in-depth investigation on the incident and to arrest and put the suspect behind bars.

He also ordered unit commanders to intensify operations to account for loose firearms and beef up campaigns against loose guns and private armed groups to prevent similar incidents, and also as part of the election security preparations.

“I have also directed all our regional directors to give me an update on their campaign against loose firearms in their respective areas of responsibility. We need to double our efforts to take away loose firearms from the streets and from the communities because these are usually being used as instruments of crime,” Eleazar said. (SunStar Philippines)