Carreta shooting suspect posts bail

CEBU, Philippines – One of the two suspects facing charges of frustrated homicide after being involved in a shootout last week in barangay Carreta, Cebu City, has posted bail.

After assistant city prosecutor Liceria Lofranco-Rabillas downgraded the frustrated murder charges filed to frustrated homicide, Dindo Ancero immediately paid the P24,000 bail last Saturday.

Ancero was charged along with a certain Ronnie Lape,   Romulo Ligan and Natalio Lauron, younger brother of Carreta barangay captain Eduardo Lauron, acted as complainants after they were hit by stray bullets.

Investigator Geoffrey Gutual of the Cebu City Police Office Homicide Section earlier said Ancero told them he arrived in the said place on a motorcycle looking for spare parts and dropped by a store to buy load for his cellphone.

Ligan was there and greeted Ancero as they were once both inmates of the city jail. As they were chatting, Lape arrived and allegedly shot Ancero with an improvised shotgun in the chest, also hitting Ligan in the left shoulder.

Ancero fired back at Lape twice, hitting him in the right hand and the left side of the torso. Natalio was also hit in the abdomen as he was about to leave on a motorcycle.

Police said they will check why Ancero had a license for his .45 cal. pistol when he was out on bail for robbery charges.

Ancero is suspected of participating in several high-profile robberies in the city, including the October 2006 heist on A1 Micro Finance Inc. and Asialink Finance Corp. —Jasmin R. Uy/BRP (THE FREEMAN)