AN EX-CONVICT with multiple drug-related arrests was shot in the head and killed early Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025, in Sitio Ponce 1, Barangay Carreta, Cebu City.
Police identified the victim as Alfredo Cuervo Bernales, 56, a resident of Sitio Panagdait, Barangay Ermita.
Maj. Eric Gingoyon, chief of the Mabolo Police Station, said officers responded to a report of a shooting at 5:45 a.m. and found Bernales lying in a pool of blood with a head wound. He was taken to a hospital but was declared dead at 7 a.m.
Closed-circuit television footage showed two men arriving at the scene. Before the shooting, one suspect was seen speaking with a woman and asking where Bernales was. Moments later, the suspect drew a gun and shot Bernales before fleeing with his companion on a motorcycle toward the area near the Department of Social Welfare and Development 7.
A street sweeper reported hearing a gunshot and seeing the suspects run from the scene.
Barangay tanods said Bernales had been arrested several times for illegal drugs and was released from prison in 2023 after serving time for a drug case. Residents alleged he owed debts for shabu and worked as a drug courier, often changing residences to avoid arrest.
A team from the Scene of the Crime Operation recovered one fired bullet and a spent shell from a .45 pistol, which will undergo ballistic examination. Police are still working to identify and arrest the suspects. / AYB