CEBU City Police Office Director Joel Doria asked the third suspect in the killing of Annalou Llaguno to surrender.
The police official assured the safety of the person, whose identity he did not divulge.
He believed the drug group is going after these culprits. The remaining suspect was the driver of the motorcycle used in attacking Llaguno.
“He can give the detail on who was the mastermind behind the murder of Annalou,” Doria said in Tagalog.
The police official said he is confused that in a short period of time they identified the killers of Llaguno, the unidentified gunmen killed them.
“Perhaps, they want to hide something,” he said in Tagalog.
Doria denied they deployed assassins to go after the suspects.
When asked why the police are being overtaken by assailants in going after the suspects, Doria said they are dedicated to solve the crime, but they also manage their time in investigating other cases.
He added the criminals are possibly monitoring the news. When they learn the police have new leads, they go after their fellow criminals and silence them.
Conflict
For his part, Police Regional Office 7 Director Noli Taliño said drug groups are going after their members or other groups going against their enemies.
“Nagkakaroon sila ng (They are in the midst of an) internal conflict,” he told reporters. “May pagdududa sa grupo (There is suspicion among them).”
The other suspected perpetrators Michael Lendio and Richard Jungoy were killed on separate occasions.
Lendio, who was celebrating his 41st birthday, was shot dead last Monday night on J.M. Basa St. in Barangay San Nicolas. Police are looking for his two drinking buddies, who can possibly shed light on the incident.
Jungoy was killed on C. Padilla St. in Barangay Duljo-Fatima last Tuesday afternoon.
Investigators believed that Lendio was a hired assassin in Barangay Duljo-Fatima, while Jungoy was a drug pusher.
Spotted
Police were about to serve a warrant for Jungoy’s arrest after he was spotted in Duljo-Fatima. He had a standing warrant for frustrated homicide and murder.
Doria said Lendio and Jungoy were underlings of suspected drug lord Jeffrey “Jaguar” Diaz. The victims allegedly escorted the group if there were deliveries.
“They also played as hitmen,” he said.
Earlier reports stated Llaguno was romantically linked to Diaz and alleged drug kingpin Kerwin Espinosa. She was killed last Sept. 30.
Llaguno was allegedly responsible for tipping police off about Diaz’s whereabouts in Las Piñas City, which resulted in the latter’s death during an encounter with the operatives led by Regional Intelligence Division 7 and Regional Special Operations Group 7 last June 17.