(UPDATED) The fifth and last person who was identified as one of the gunmen during a shooting incident outside a convenience store in Barangay Yati, Liloan, Cebu at dawn on Thursday, May 9, 2024, that killed a 16-year-old girl believed to a member of Crips gang and injured her two male companions, has surrendered to the Liloan Police Station around 3 p.m. on Friday, May 10, 2024.
The suspect only identified as Ugoy, of Sitio Tagaytay, Barangay Calero, Liloan, was accompanied by his parents.
According Police Major Eric Gingoyon, chief of the Liloan Police Station, Ugoy gave himself up to the Calero barangay hall before going to the police station, after finding out that he had been identified as the gunman.
Mak-Mak, 21, who was arrested ahead of him on Friday, identified Ugoy as one of the gunmen.
He claimed that he was simply the driver during the shooting incident, with his backrider Ugoy acting as the shooter.
Ugoy, however, denied the accusation against him, claiming he just went with the group and had no involvement in the shooting.
Rather, he blamed Nilo and Mak-Mak, who he could identify, because he was unsure of the other three who were with them.
"Kana sir sila rang duha akong nakit-an nga ni bunot nga naka jacket unya gi rapid man nila pag tira. Pito mi kabuok pero duha ra ako kaila sila ra Niño ug Mak-Mak. Wala ko kabantay kun katong uban nakapusil ba kay sila raman Mak-Mak ug Nilo akong nailhan," Ugoy said.
(Only the two of them sir who were wearing jackets that I saw drawing their guns and shooting rapidly. There were seven of us but only Niño and Mak-Mak were familiar to me, so I wasn't sure if the others fired too).
Ugoy revealed that they went to Mandaue City to attend a fiesta celebration on May 8 in the evening upon the invitation of Mak-Mak.
They met each other in the city’s Barangay Jagobiao and at around 1 a.m. of the following day, May 9, he was instructed to drive a motorcycle to Liloan, but he was perplexed as to why three more motorcycles were following them.
Ugoy said they stopped as soon as they got to Yati, and Mak-Mak and Nilo started shooting at the victims.
At that point, Mak-Mak informed him that it was a form of reprisal for their fellow Bloods member, who had been stabbed last May 4 by Alyza's 15-year-old boyfriend.
"Adto na nisulti si Makmak paghuman nag tira. Ni ana siya nga bawos mi bay tungod adtong gidunggab nga among kauban. Didto mi sa Tayud unya ni ana dayon siya nga i-delete nang chat nimo, ana ko nganong i-delete man ana si Mak-mak nga ayaw tug-an kinsa ang namusil, nituo sad ko og ako’ng gi delete. Tingala ko pagmata naku anang ala una sa hapon sa petsa 9 akoa naman pangan nigawas hinuon, nilahos dayon ko sa ig-agaw nako nga konsehal," Ugoy said.
(It was after the shooting when Makmak said that they exacted revenge for their ally who was stabbed. He also told me to remove our chat conversations while we were in Tayud which I did. When I asked Mak-Mak about it, he told me not to tell anyone who fired the guns. I was shocked to see my name come out when I woke up at 1 p.m. on May 9, at which point I decided to go see my cousin, who is a councilor).
Rollen Monisit Obia, one of the twins who consented to disclose his identity, said it was not true that he was involved in the shooting because during the incident he was sleeping in their house.
He acknowledged that he used to be a member of the Bloods gang but he is not anymore actively involved because he is raising fighting cocks.
"Nganong naapil man mi ana sir nga nag tinarong man tawon mi uy. Sayo tawon ko natulog adtong petsa 8, wala man gani mi manglaag adtong pista, bisan si Mak-mak nitug-an nga wala gyud mi labot ana sir," Obia said.
(Why are we involved in it, sir? We lead moral lives. On the eighth, I went to bed early, and we stayed indoors during the fiesta. Mak-mak even asserted that we had nothing to do with the occurrence, sir).
According to Gingoyon, it’s up to the court to decide on the suspects’ alibi, since they witnesses who can testify about the incident.
Meanwhile, Ugoy's father acknowledged that his son was stubborn and won’t heed to their advice.
He continued by saying that Ugoy stopped going to school because he preferred to hang out with fellow Bloods members.
To recall, 18-year-old Nilo was the first to be taken into custody in Barangay Looc, Danao City, around 11:30 p.m. on Thursday, after being identified by a witness.
During an investigation at the Liloan Police Station, Nilo identified his four other companions.
After that, the Liloan police went to the other suspects' residences and apprehended the 34-year-old twins in Purok Malipayon, Immaculada, Barangay Jagobiao, Mandaue City at 2 a.m. on Friday, May 10, 2024.
A 9mm pistol with six live rounds was also recovered from their possession. The fourth suspect, Mak-Mak, was arrested around 4:30 a.m. on Friday, May 10, in Barangay Calero Gingoyon claimed that the five suspects are all members of the Bloods, which is the rival of Crips gang.
The crime was thought to have been motivated by personal animosities and tension between the two groups. (AYB, TPT)