Man who shot CITOM enforcer eyed in carnap

CEBU, Philippines - The man was gunned down by an enforcer of the City Traffic Operations Management in Barangay Parian, Cebu City, last Wednesday night, has reportedly long been sought by the police for allegedly stealing a Toyota Hi-Ace van last year.

Police identified the man as Orson “Sonny” Ornopia, 34, who ran for councilor in Tabogon town under the Nacionalista Party but lost. He temporarily resides in Barangay Tabok, Mandaue City.

Sr. Insp. Michael Anthony Bastes, Fuente Police Station chief and former chief of the Theft and Robbery Section of the Cebu City Police Office identified Ornopia as the one who stole the white Hi-Ace van last August from the Toyota stockyard at the North Reclamation Area in Mandaue City.

The police finally found the vehicle in a pay-parking lot along Junquera St. in barangay Kamagayan late last October after it was used in staging robberies, including one at a gasoline station along T. Padilla St.

Inside the van, Bastes’ team found a bag with several identification cards of one of their victims earlier that day, a loaded .38 cal. revolver, a black holster and a bogus plate number.

Ornopia was shot and hit by CITOM enforcer Raul Langbid, 41, of Barangay Basak-San Nicolas who was also shot by Ornopia.

Ornopia, who was allegedly drunk, reportedly intervened when Langbid intercepted a traffic violator along J. C. Zamora St., Barangay Parian around 9 p.m. Langbid just came from the fire scene in Barangay Tinago on board a CITOM vehicle.

When Ornopia saw this, he reportedly disembarked from the white multicab he was driving with license plate numbers GBD-381.

Ornopia allegedly scolded Langbid by saying: “Sige lang mo panakop unya labaw pa mo mga violators. Tan-awa inyo tail light, wa magsiga.”

The two then engaged in an argument until Ornopia reportedly took a gun from the multicab and shot at Langbid, hitting him in the right shoulder.

Wounded, Langbid managed to grapple for the same gun and while they were struggling it reportedly went off, hitting Ornopia in the neck and upper part of his abdomen.

Ornopia slumped to the sidewalk where he died. Langbid was rushed to the Cebu City Medical Center.

Apart from the multicab, police recovered a homemade .45 cal. pistol with four live rounds and a black holster from the crime scene.

Both Ornopia and Langbid will be subjected to a paraffin test to determine if they both fired the gun because there were allegations from bystanders that Langbid had a gun of his own that he used to kill Ornopia.

There were also allegations that another CITOM personnel fired the gun that killed Ornopia.

In an interview at the CCPO yesterday, PO1 Dennis Ornopia, assigned to the Carbon Police Station, and first degree cousin of the fatality, said that based on what he knew, his cousin has a personal grudge against CITOM personnel.

The policeman said that earlier this year, a CITOM personnel tore off the copy of the registration of Ornopia’s multicab, making him unable to sell it to anyone.

He said Ornopia also worked as a shuttle bus driver in the Mactan Export Processing Zone. He has a wife and three kids.

The body of the suspect which is now at the St. Francis Funeral Homes will be subjected to an autopsy and is set to be cremated, PO1 Ornopia said. (FREEMAN NEWS)