"Brains" behind shooting in Carcar falls to police

CEBU, Philippines - Police arrested one of the “brains” in the killing of a businessman in J.P. Rizal Street, Barangay Poblacion I, Carcar City Cebu last Monday evening.

With the help of some of the witnesses, policemen were able to arrest yesterday morning one Rey Llanos, 34, of Sibonga, Cebu.

Llanos is accused of ordering the shooting of Eric Uraca, 34. Uraca was owner of a shop for motor parts and accessories. He was shot to death by two gun-for-hire men in front of his store.

Based on the investigation, Uraca was sitting in front of his store when Ronilo Montalla, 31, living in Barangay Colawin, Argao Cebu and Lope Gicale, 27, arrived on board a black skeletal motorcycle without plate number.

Montalla disembarked from the motorcycle driven by Gicale, went inside the store and pretended to be a customer buying a motorcycle tire. Minutes later, Montalla pulled out his gun and shot Uraca at the back of his head, followed by a second shot hitting the right side of his head. Uraca died immediately.

The suspects fled after the incident but their motorcycle conked out a few meters away from Uraca’s store, so the two decided to just run, leaving the motorcycle.

The police conducted a hot pursuit operation and were able to arrest Montalla and Gicale at a nipa hut allegedly owned by a certain Jay Camotes, which the police suspected to be the second “mastermind” in the killing of Uraca.

Recovered were two empty shells of caliber .45 and the motorcycle used by the suspects at the crime scene.

Montalla and Gicale claimed that they were paid P15,000 to kill Uraca.

In another incident, a man was shot by a still unidentified suspect with the use of a home made shotgun locally known as “sumpak” in Barangay Gaang, Tuburan last Sunday evening.

Rogelio Matugas, 40, a farmer, was on his way home after a day in his farm when unidentified person appeared and shot him, hitting the right side of his stomach.

The suspect fled after the incident.

Matugas was brought to the Tuburan District Hospital in the afternoon of the following day yet, as the crime scene was estimated to be 30 kilometers away from the Poblacion.

One of the personnel in the hospital told The Freeman that the night Matugas was shot, he was able to run to the house of one of the barangay tanods and asked for help. He was not immediately brought to the hospital due to lack of money and the distance of the place to the hospital.

When Matugas arrived at the hospital around 3:15 p.m. of July 12, he was told that he will be transferred to one of the hospitals in Cebu for further medication, but Matugas died minutes after. – THE FREEMAN