CEBU, Philippines - Two people were killed and one other was injured in three separate shooting incidents in Cebu City the past two days.
The fatalities were identified as Primo “June” Callego Jr., 36, and Elbert Padrigo, 32. The person injured was identified as Judith Salvador, 52, a grade school teacher.
Callego, a resident of Sitio Laguna, Barangay Bulacao and a sidewalk vendor, was shot dead by his neighbor, SPO2 Cresante Dacillo, 47, late afternoon last Monday.
Dacillo reportedly shot Callego by impulse after the victim tried to shoot him first during a confrontation. Callego was still new at the place at that time.
Dacillo said he has just arrived after buying something from a sari-sari store when he saw Callego allegedly looking suspiciously at his store.
Dacillo said he called Callego’s attention but the latter reportedly pulled out a .38 caliber revolver and shot him, prompting the policeman to pull out his own firearm and fire at Callego thrice.
Dacillo said he was lucky that Callego’s shot misfired, which gave him the window to fire back. He hit Callego on the left abdomen and on his thighs.
The Basak Pardo Emergency Response (BPER) responded to the incident and rushed Callego to Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC) where he was declared dead on arrival.
Dacillo immediately surrendered to the Punta Princesa Police Station. He also turned over his 9mm Piettro berretta pistol.
Thirty minutes after that incident, Salvador, a grade 2 teacher of Labangon Elementary School, was shot inside her residence in Bellaville Homes, Barangay Labangon around 6:30 pm.
Salvador’s house help, Dorothea Yuson, 63, told the police that someone had call her employer’s name a few minutes before the attack. She said she was the one who informed Salvador that someone was looking for her. Salvador was inside the house at that time.
Salvador opened the gate personally and a man, described to be in his 30s, shot her on the leg. Salvador managed to close the gate and call for Yuson’s help, as the gunman fled on foot and board a taxi at Salvador Extension.
Despite her wound, Salvador managed to phone her children who rushed her to CCMC. Police have yet to determine the motive behind the shooting.
Meanwhile, Padrigo was sleeping on the sidewalk at the corner of Colon and Pelaez Streets in Barangay Kamagayan when he was shot by an unidentified gunman past 3am yesterday.
Witnesses said the gunman immediately rushed back to his bicycle parked near a pharmacy a few meters from the crime scene.
The police are eyeing personal grudge as the motive behind the attack. Padrigo reportedly acquired enemies because he drives off alleged robbers in the area. – (FREEMAN)