MURDER and attempted murder complaints have been filed against one of the suspects in the coffee shop attack in Barangay Cogon Ramos, Cebu City last April 10, 2019.
Abellana Police Station Chief Eduard Sanchez identified the suspect as Hans Jurgen Ruelan Dingcong, a resident of 88 Hills Compound in Barangay Guadalupe, Cebu City.
Investigators said jealousy might have pushed Dingcong to commit the crime.
Dingcong is facing two counts of murder for the deaths of Good Cup Coffee managing partner and barista John Michael Hermoso and cashier Kis Ramos, and two counts of attempted murder for wounding employees Jerome Amada and Sherwin Amada.
Sanchez said Dingcong had been positively identified by a balut vendor before his investigators filed the complaints at the City Prosecutor’s Office on Monday, June 10.
The complaints will undergo preliminary investigation, during which the investigating prosecutor would summon Dingcong to answer the allegations against him through a counter-affidavit.
Investigation showed that Dingcong and Hermoso had known each other before the incident.
Dingcong’s current girlfriend was Hermoso’s former girlfriend.
Hermoso reportedly drew the ire of Dingcong after the latter learned that the woman was still in love with the barista.
The woman, though, denied this when she faced the investigator.
The suspect also denied he was the gunman, saying he was playing in a casino at the time of the incident.
When the investigators checked the casino’s security cameras, however, Dingcong was not in the casino last April 10.
Dingcong is reportedly a gun enthusiast.
In the security camera footage of the incident, the police noticed that the gunman knew how to handle his firearm.
Police Regional Office 7 Director Debold Sinas has urged the suspect to surrender.
“Right now we cannot arrest the suspect without a warrant. So we are telling the suspect it would be better to surrender now or well have a strong manhunt against him,” he said.
For her part, Cebu City Police Office Director Royina Garma said the witness’s statement is strong proof that Dingcong was the killer of Hermoso. (From AYB of SuperBalita Cebu, KAL)