WITNESSES said the man shot at dawn on Tuesday was shouting for help before gunshots were fired at him by two men riding a motorcycle.
Since January this year, shooting of people had been rising. Most of them were not immediately unidentified. It took days before their relatives would claim them from funeral parlors.
Police investigators are still facing a blank wall on the motive of the killing of a jeepney passenger whose identity remains unknown as of press time.
The unnamed man was shot by motorcycle-riding suspects around 4:10 a.m. Tuesday along the intersection of Capt. Vicente Roa and J.R. Borja streets near the Cogon public market.
Reports said the victim was inside a red multi-cab bound for Upper Balulang when the perpetrators shot him.
Police responded to the crime scene minutes after the incident and brought the victim to the nearest medical facility.
SPO1 Apollo Neil de las Alas, intelligence operative of criminal investigation section at the Cogon police station, told Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro that the victim was declared dead by attending physicians around 6:52 a.m. on Tuesday.
"He was still alive when we went to the area. He was already sprawled on the street though. We immediately brought him to the nearest hospital," he said.
The victim sustained three gunshot wounds on his abdomen, right arm, and head.
The victim does not have any identification on him other than the tattoos on his arms.
Nobody in the area could identify the suspects because they all wore bonnets.
"No one was able to see the plate number of the motorcycle used by the suspects as their getaway vehicle," de las Alas said.
Police authorities have checked their rogue's gallery but the victim has no records yet.
According to witnesses’ accounts, the victim had a companion who was able to flee from the crime scene.
De las Alas called for the companion to surface to give a clear view of the incident so the police can begin with the investigation.
"We are also calling for the public to inform us if it happens a member of your family has not gone home yet to somehow ease out our investigation," he added.
The victim is now at a funeral home in barangay Bulua waiting to be claimed by his family.