Police to file charges vs. Noe's killers today

The Homicide Section of the city police will file murder and frustrated murder charges today against two persons responsible for the killing of an American national and the wounding his fiancée last week.

SPO3 Alex Dacua, an investigator of the Homicide Section, told The Freeman that the gunman was already identified and will be charged together with his unidentified backup.

The mastermind in the killing will be charged later as police are still looking for other witnesses.

American Victor Noe, 68, and his fiancée, Catalina Cabanes, 35, were shot by a man wearing a blue bonnet along Duterte Street in Banawa, barangay Guadalupe in the afternoon of July 24.

The gunman reportedly left his bonnet few meters away from Noe's body and escaped. Police said some witnesses even followed the gunman and his companion who escaped towards barangay Labangon.

The victims and Cabanes' two daughters were disembarking from a taxi when the gunman opened fire and hurriedly escaped with his companion on board a motorcycle towards Salvador Street.

Dacua told The Freeman that they have witnesses who actually saw the shooting. He said the gunman had reportedly visited the victim's place at San Agustin Heights in barangay Tisa few days prior to the shooting.

Police got the picture of the gunman in their records section through the witnesses.

Dacua said had they obtained witnesses that could substantiate and support the leads they are now pursuing, they would have also filed the case against the mastermind today.

"Kung naa pay witness nga maka-testify batok aning atong principal suspect, karon ma-file na nato ang kaso sa iya," Dacua said.

But the investigator admitted that some witnesses who earlier gave information against the mastermind do not want to testify for fear of their lives.

Cabanes sustained gunshot wounds in her left temple and is now recuperating at a private hospital. Dacua said she had not yet given testimonies to the police on the incident.

Last week, the Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Branch released two cartographic sketches of the assailants to the media.

Police, however, did not bare the motive they are focusing since it might jeopardize their investigation into the case. - Edwin Ian Melecio