CEBU – Playing his best in a basketball game proved fatal for a player in an inter-barangay league in Valencia, Carcar City when he was shot some 500 meters away from the basketball court after their team won last Saturday night.
Police identified the fatality as Joey Solon, who was shot in the back. His teammate Juanito Moreno also landed in the hospital after two unidentified men opened fire at them while the two were on a motorcycle on their way home.
The victims played for the Barangay Toyom team, which won its semifinal assignment that night to earn a slot in the championship.
According to SP03 Jonas Pagdanganan, investigator of the Carcar Police Station, the victims’ team defeated the barangay Cadlingan team, 100-90. The team of the victims was set to play against the barangay Bhokyol team last night.
The shooting took place while the members of the winning team were happily chatting while riding on motorcycles for hire on their way back home.
When the group reached sitio Cabiawon, a gunshot was heard and Solon fell. Thinking that the basketball player just accidentally fell from the bike the driver stopped in order to pick him up.
They were surprised to see blood from the victim and decided to bring him to the hospital, but while they were trying to get Solon back on the bike, Moreno suddenly slumped to the ground and was found to have also suffered a gunshot wound to the back.
Pagdanganan said both were rushed to the Carcar District Hospital, but Solon was declared dead on arrival due to a single gunshot wound on the back that exited at his chest.
The police believe that the bullet that killed Solon was the same bullet that hit Moreno.
Moreno is set to undergo surgery to remove the bullet that is still in his body.
Players of both teams were summoned by the police yesterday to shed light on the incident and undergo paraffin test.
The police are also looking for the motorcycle for hire driver, who brought the two victims to the hospital in order to get additional information.
Police recovered one empty shell of a .45 caliber bullet 100 meters from where Solon fell.
Police investigators who went to the basketball court learned that the game went well, but due to the close battle, some supporters got carried away and were taunting each other.
Solon was his team’s star player and police believed that someone might have gotten angry at him due to his performance during game. — Edwin Ian Melecio of Banat News/NLQ (THE FREEMAN)