POLICE are looking at two angles in the fatal shooting of a habal-habal driver in Barangay Basak Pardo, Cebu City past noon on Tuesday, October 11, 2022.
It’s either Benjie Patulin Tobalado’s past had caught up with him or he was playing with fire.
The 28-year-old resident of Sitio Ubca 3 in neighboring Barangay Quiot was killed after he was shot by an unidentified gunman on a motorcycle while he was driving his motorcycle at the corner of Macopa Street and Jumalon Drive at 12:55 p.m.
Benjie suffered gunshot wounds in the side of his torso and in the nape of his head.
According to witnesses, Benjie was still able to stagger a few steps despite his injuries only to fall. He managed to pull himself up and run until he fell for the last time around 90 meters away.
Police who arrived at the scene recovered three empty shells from what they believed to be a .45 pistol.
The victim’s mother, Rodgene, told Superbalita Cebu that around 10 a.m. her son called someone on his cellphone asking for the person’s whereabouts. A few minutes later, a woman arrived at the house.
Benjie then left with her, Rodgene said.
The mother said she thought nothing of it until she was informed about her son’s fate a few hours later.
Based on the testimony she gave Senior Master Sergeant Geoffrey Gutual, who is investigating the case for the Inayawan Police Station, Benjie used to be a drug user.
He even moved to Sitio Alumnos in Barangay Basak San Nicolas to be closer to his drug supplier, she said.
Gutual said they would try to identify Benjie’s female companion so they could question her.