Suspect surrenders, denies owning gun

CEBU, Philippines - A man who shot a soft drink delivery driver dead and injured a truck boy in Toledo City surrendered to media personality Bobby Nalzaro yesterday.

Saying he was afraid for his safety, Domiciano Capilan, 48, decided to surrender to Balitang Bisdak and dySS anchor Bobby Nalzaro during the latter's early morning program, four days after the incident last Saturday. 

Capilan was then turned over to Toledo City police chief, Chief Insp. Michael Anthony Bastes, and will face appropriate charges.

The fatality was identified as Joel Bonghanoy, 32, who died of a gunshot wound in his chest while his co-worker was identified as Dionesio Traya, 28, who was wounded in the shoulder.

The incident reportedly happened at past 6 p.m. while Bonghanoy was driving an Isuzu Elf truck (YKR 987) on his way to his temporary residence in Toledo City after delivering soft drinks with Traya.

The truck was traveling Cabulihan Street when an Isuzu Forwards truck with plate number YAB 773 suddenly drove close and hit Bonghanoy's left side mirror.

The Forward truck did not bother stopping to check the damage and accelerated instead, which prompted Bonghanoy to go after it. Bonghanoy managed to overtake the Forward truck and stopped further down the road. He and Traya then alighted and flagged the Forward truck down.

The truck stopped but as soon as Bonghanoy and Traya approached, the driver pulled out a gun and shot the victims, hitting Bonghanoy on his left chest and Traya on his left shoulder.

  But Capilan told The Freeman it was Bonghanoy who was allegedly armed, but he was able to grab the firearm during a scuffle and used it to shoot the victims.

"Wa jud ko kabantay nga duna koy naigo nahibung na lang ko nga gibabagan ko…ang armas nailog ra nako sa driver kay gialirungan na man ko nila unya nahadlok sad ko (I could not remember hitting anything while driving so I was surprised why they had overtaken… I wrestled the firearm away from the driver because they were circling me and I got afraid)," Capilan said.

Capilan claimed his conscience haunted him the past four days. The thought of getting killed also scared him, he said.

"Gawas sa nakonsensiya ko nahadlok ko nga i-salvage unya ko kay paminaw nako gisakyan ni ug lain (Aside from being haunted by my conscience, I got afraid that I would be killed because I had a feeling someone else is riding on the incident)," Capilan said. He, however, did not elaborate about the third party.

With Capilan's surrender, Bastes said they can now consider the case closed.

"Solved na gyud and either murder or homicide ang ma-file depende sa investigation (The case is considered solved. It is now a matter of preparing the appropriate charges)," Bastes said.

Bastes assured Capilan's security while he is detained in the police stockade. – (FREEMAN)