Violence during Valentine's Day: Four men shot, hurt in separate shootings in Danao, Compostela

From late evening of Valentine's Day last Tuesday until the wee hours of Wednesday, four people got wounded in three separate shooting incidents in Danao City and Compostela town.

The most recent incident was yesterday dawn in Danao City where a male teenager, while walking with his cousins and uncle on the way home, was shot by one of three unidentified people riding a motorcycle.

Joey Carl Bartonico Batucan, a resident of Talisay City, was hit with the bullet that went through and through his right leg. He was rushed to the Danao District Hospital and moved later to a hospital in Cebu City.

Responding policemen, led by SPO1 Rodrigo E. Roble Jr., said the assailant and his companions were wearing ball caps and covering their mouth with a handkerchief. Investigations on their identities and motive continue until now.

The night before that incident in Rizal Street, Danao City, 19-year-old Lemuel Terando Losares was with a friend on their way home on P.G. Almendras Street in barangay Suba when an unidentified person shot him.

Losares suffered a gunshot wound on the lower left portion of his body, and was taken to the Danao hospital before transferred to a hospital in Cebu City.

Another policeman, SPO4 Teofilo Deguilmo added that it could be a case of "paregla" or thrill attack.

At about the same time in Compostela town, three unidentified men riding a blue XRM Honda motorcycle, shot two men along the national highway at barangay Estaca.

The victims were identified as Roland Mahinay Dodo, 20 and resident of barangay Tamiao of Compostela, and Doncar Ceniza Galinea, 18 and resident of barangay Cotcot in Liloan town.

Dodo suffered three gunshot wounds in various parts of his body while Galinea was wounded on the head.

Responding police, led by SPO1 Enrique Los Baños, said initial investigations showed the victims were with three companions walking on their way home when they met the motorcycle-riding men who greeted them by saying "bro" and gesturing the allegedly Akrho hand signals.

The victims' group ignored the greetings while refusing to respond and, shortly after, successive bursts of gunfire broke out. The assailants quickly sped off towards Liloan leaving Dodo and Galinea wounded. - Norvie S. Misa