Two more victims fall to unidentified gunmen

THREE persons were killed in separate stabbing and shooting incidents in Cebu City in the last two days.

At 11 p.m. last Sunday, Jefrey Llanos, 35, was stabbed to death by his neighbor Joseph Nolasco, 45, after the two had a fistfight in Barangay Duljo-Fatima.

“The suspect was no match for the victim so he ran only to return a few minutes later with a knife. He then stabb ed Llanos,” PO3 Nicolo Gonzales of the Homicide Section said in Cebuano.

Nolasco struck Llanos in the throat. The latter managed to run 15 meters before he collapsed.

The suspect fled.

According to Gonzales, the two were fighting over a personal grudge.

Nolasco remained at large, as of press time.

Unknown suspects

Six hours later at 5:50 a.m. on R. Padilla in the same barangay, a 19-year-old furniture maker was shot dead in the head by two unidentified assailants on a motorcycle.

“The victim was working on the second floor when his shirt fell on the road. He went down to retrieve it. A few seconds later, his co-workers heard gunshots. When they went down to check, he was already lying on the ground,” PO3 Winston Ybañez said in Cebuano.

The victim was identified as Edgardo Altobar, who reportedly hailed from the southwestern town of Dumanjug.

A witness said he saw two men on board a motorcycle, who looked like they were waiting for someone.

After he heard the gunshots, he saw the men flee.

Altobar, who was shot in the left temple, had no record of drug involvement.

131 casualties

Around 9 a.m., a 35-year-old woman was killed by a man wearing a helmet in Barangay Punta Prinsesa.

Mirasol Tancay was talking to a friend when the gunman arrived on board a motorcycle.

“The victim managed to plead to the gunman to spare her before he shot her,” Ybañez said in Cebuano.

The gunman reportedly told the victim’s friend to leave or she’d be shot too. That was why she hid because she thought the man was the victim’s husband and they were having a marital spat, Ybañez said.

The gunman shot the victim twice in the head.

Police recovered a 9mm empty shell at the scene.

The deaths of Altobar and Tancay raised the number of persons killed by unidentified assailants in Region 7 to 131.