"Vigilantes" claim 3 more

Three men, two incidents, one night.

Within a span of three hours, men believed to be vigilantes gunned down three people with shady pasts in two separate incidents in barangays Zapatera and Mabolo respectively last Wednesday night.

Confirmed dead were suspected drug pushers Norberto "Intong" Rodriguez and Arturo Vinluan while the third victim was identified as Nanik "Nikki" Shewakram, who based on records has been in and out of jail due to carnapping cases since the early 1990s.

The body count in the string of vigilante-style killings has now reached 110.

Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña, who said he is helpless in stopping the killings, instead has this message for criminals to think about: "I hope these people (suspected criminals) realized that it's time for them to move to Talisay. I'm helpless in helping them," Osmeña said during his regular press conference yesterday at the City Hall.

The mayor has been very vocal about his ire against Talisay City in view of its claim over a portion of the South Reclamation Project. Talisay and Cebu City share a common boundary in the southern part of the city.

Osmeña said, there is no guarantee that he can protect criminals in Cebu City but instead he is willing to give passes for suspected criminals to pass through the South Coastal Road down to Talisay City.

"I hope they will go to that area so that we can have 100 percent peace and order in the city," the mayor said.

There is a possibility that only one group was responsible for the killings last Wednesday night since the manner of execution was similar wherein four men onboard two motorcycles were spotted in the area, but only one of them fired at the victims.

Vinluan, 31, was at their family-owned billiard hall along Gil Tudtud Street in Mabolo at about 9:30 p.m. when his assailants arrived and then opened fire.

Not contented, one of the men reportedly alighted from the motorcycle and then finished off Vinluan who sustained three gunshot wounds on his body that killed him instantly.

Although there was an obvious similarity to the vigilantes who wore helmets and bonnets to hide their faces, in the case of Vinluan, police are however looking at a personal grudge angle.

Homicide investigators said that the brother of Vinluan named Cristituto was allegedly the one who shot dead former military man Mario Recla in barangay Hipodromo.

Sources in the intelligence community yesterday, however, said that reports revealed that Vinluan was allegedly involved in the underworld as a level two pusher who could dispose 200 grams to a kilo of shabu a week.

Shewakram and Rodriguez were standing at the corner of Simoun St. and D. Jakosalem beside the former's car when the four men on board two motorcycles arrived at about 11:15 p.m.

In the initial investigation, it was learned that one of the men who wore a white sweat shirt and a ball cap immediately shot the victims several times and then sped away.

Shewakram's wife, who at that time was inside the car with their child, rushed him to a private hospital but he was declared dead on arrival.

He sustained gunshot wounds on his head, right side of his neck and also suffered lacerations on his right shoulder while Rodriguez was also declared dead on arrival at the Cebu City Medical Center.

Rodriguez had multiple gunshot wounds.

Theft and Robbery Section Chief Ambrosio Ibones revealed that Shewakram has been in and out of the Bagong Buhay Rehabilitation Center due to a string of carnapping cases.

Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Branch Chief Paul Labra confirmed Ibones statement.

He said, Shewakram was also alleged to be a drug user and that Rodriguez, based on the latest report that they got from the intelligence community, was the alleged supplier of shabu and nubain to Shewakram.

But Labra said, among the angles that should be looked into the death of Shewakram are personal grudge since the latter has been irritable lately and had allegedly figured in heated exchanges recently. The police officer also said that there is a possibility that people who Shewakram had victimized before got back at him.

He said they had invited Che-che, wife of Shewakram to appear before the Homicide Section to help them in their investigation.