‘Drug-using’ pa shoots son, 5, then kills self

CEBU, Philippines - A 37-year-old father, believed to be a drug user, shot dead his five-year-old son before turning the gun on himself inside their house in Barangay San Vicente, Liloan, Cebu Sunday afternoon.

The neighbors told authorities they heard two gunshots coming from the house of Fritz Villamor around 4 p.m.

Responding policemen saw Fritz lying lifeless, with a gunshot wound to the left temple and an exit wound in the right temple. By Fritz’s right side lay his son Francis James, who also succumbed to a bullet wound to the head.

A 9mm homemade pistol was found near Fritz’s left hand. The police also recovered a misfired bullet, two empty bullet shells, and two slugs at the scene.

SPO3 Marcelo Servilla, case investigator, told The FREEMAN that prior to the incident, Fritz’s wife Sheryl left him with their three-year-old child after an argument, leaving their other children, ages seven and five, with a relative.

Servilla said that after his wife left, Fritz saw Francis James playing with a toy car at a covered court, so he called the boy and brought him to their house.

Police suspected that Fritz played with his son before he decided to kill him.

“Duna pa gud ni trak-trak nga duwaan sa iyang kamot, nagkupot pa, unya gatapad sila mura’g nag-hagwa-hagwa pa ni sila (The boy still have a toy truck in his hand, then they were lying close to each other. It could be they were playing together before the incident),” Servilla said in a phone interview.

Servilla said that relatives told him the couple always argued over their financial situation and because Fritz often gets jealous with her.

“Posible pud nga sa pagka-drug user sa suspek. Posible mag-away sila kay kinsa gud asawaha ganahan nga ang bana tigamitan (They often fought, possibly because he was a drug user. No wife likes a husband who uses illegal drugs),” Servilla said.

Crime Scene Investigation personnel of the Cebu Provincial Police Office also found at the crime scene an aluminum foil and a half-consumed liquor believed to have been owned by Fritz.

In a GMA-7 Balitang Bisdak interview, Sheryl said she was no longer living with Fritz for a few weeks now due to many reasons.

“Tigamitan na siya pero wala ko mag-expect nga makaako siya sa pagpatay sa among anak (He was a drug user, but I did not expect that he could kill our son),” she said.

Sheryl said their relatives told her Fritz was hugging the boy while crying as he gave him a toy car.

“Gihatagan pa niya og duwaan ang bata unya gipatay diay niya (He gave the boy a toy car only to kill him),” she said.

Richard Cabasan, Francis James’ uncle, said they suspected that Fritz was really planning to kill his son, as Fritz drove them away from the house every time they went near. (FREEMAN)