Man shot dead, vigilantes eyed

An ex-convict was shot dead last Friday night after visiting some relatives along Rosal Street corner Gorordo Avenue, barangay Camputhaw, Cebu City.

Loreto "Tocong" Arda, of Purok 3, Camputhaw, a suspected drug pusher, was killed on the spot by a man later seen escaping in a black Mitsubishi car.

Policemen of the Homicide Section said Arda was on his Motorstar MSX 125 heading home when he made a stop. The assailant, described as wearing a yellow shirt and a ball cap approached him from his left and shot him several times.

The assailant then walked to a black Mitsubishi car with plate number YWC-859 and sped toward the downtown area.

Arda was brought by relatives to Perpetual Soccour Hospital where he was declared dead on arrival. Police were able to gather seven empty .45 cal. shells and a .45 cal. slug at the crime scene.

Police said they are now looking into the possibility that Arda might have been killed by so-called vigilantes operating in the city as Arda was jailed twice for illegal possession in 1990 and 1992.

Another angle being looked into is personal grudge as Arda is allegedly a drug pusher.

The Durano family and the Arda family in Caputhaw have been fighting since December which led to the death of four men, three from the Arda family and Constantino Durano, the brother of former policeman Engilberto Durano who is currently serving time in jail for murder.