One dead, another wounded in Badian shooting

A 21-year-old man was slain while his 19-year-old companion was wounded in a shooting at a terrace of a house at barangay Suhuton in Badian town Wednesday afternoon.

Dante Villacorta, a resident of barangay Malhiao in that same town, was hit in the back and died on the spot while his companion, Federico Pelegrino, was hit in the left part of his hip.

Responding policemen, led by SPO3 Rufino Tabañag, said the suspected gunman was Jimmy Apostol, 25, who was the owner of the house where the shooting took place at about 2:30pm that day.

Two hours after, Apostol surrendered to barangay Manduyong councilman Jaime Binaraw, who in turn turned over the suspect to the town police. Apostol is now detained at the Municipal Jail while relatives of the victims are preparing to file a case against him.

Initial investigation showed that Apostol was sitting at the terrace of his house watching a volleyball game held at the place when three men suddenly went upstairs and sat beside him.

Badian Police chief, Insp. Rodrigo Orbigozo, yesterday told The FREEMAN that the three, Villacorta, Pelegrino, and a yet unidentified companion, came from Malhiao and were in Suhuton supposedly to play volleyball.

While they were watching the game, Apostol suddenly saw Villacorta drew a gun from his waist and, without provocation, pointed it at Apostol. A scuffle for gun possession ensued when Apostol tried to grab it away from Villacorta.

Apostol succeeded in taking the gun and immediately used it to gun down Villacorta. He then fired another shot and wounded Pelegrino but as the gun fell off the ground, the third man quickly took it and scampered away. -Norvie S. Misa/RAE