Victim in drive-by shooting dies

CEBU - One of the victims by a drive-by shooting in barangay Duljo-Fatima dawn last Saturday died at the Cebu City Medical Center yesterday where she was rushed after getting hit on the head and left leg.

Piechen Secretaria, 13, was with three other friends, when three armed men on a bicycle fired at them while they were walking from a benefit dance in barangay Sto. Niño.

Secretaria’s companions Rage Ravena, 15, of Abellana St., barangay Suba, was injured on his left knee; John Nazareno, 15, of M. Velez St., Capitol Site, was wounded on his left armpit; Kevin Donaire, 16, of Kamagong, Lahug, was wounded on his left foot; and Ken Protacio, 28, of Duljo-Fatima, sustained a wound on his right leg.

Because of the incident, city police director Patrocinio Comendador Jr. yesterday said he would no longer allow benefit dances in barangays to go beyond midnight.

Comendador will meet with the 11 police station chiefs in the city today to discuss the issue and a new directive that would hold barangay officials responsible of any incident that would occur in line with activities that are allowed to continue even past midnight.

Comendador said police personnel would already be deployed in barangays that would be holding benefit dances but only until 12am. After midnight, the burden to secure the barangay would already lie solely on the barangay officials.

So far, only two of the suspects have been identified, the most recent is a certain Acnoy Baraw of sitio Riverside, barangay Duljo-Fatima. The first to be identified was a certain Franco Obiso.

Comendador said his men are still tracking the whereabouts of the three who remain at large.

It was Obiso who reportedly drove the bicycle. All three suspects were allegedly alarmed.

The police chief recognized that several gangs exist in Duljo-Fatima and that they usually get active during weekends. The victims are members of Cebu Real Gangsters. — Niña Chrismae G. Sumacot/JMO   (THE FREEMAN)