Bus conductor arrested after shooting passenger

CEBU, Philippines – An off-duty bus conductor was arrested by the police two hours after he allegedly shot a passenger of a Sunrays Bus yesterday dawn in Barangay San Sebastian, Samboan town.

Ian Nel Auditor, 28, a native of Bacolod City, was arrested after he allegedly shot James Brian Sanches, 31, of Caseres, Oslob town.

Police Officer 2 Ressel Jabagat, desk officer of Samboan Police Station, said that Auditor and his friend Winston Pobe, 23, of Poblacion, Samboan, were drinking before they rode the Sunrays Bus to get to the Ceres Bus garage.

According to Jabagat, Pobe said Auditor sat in a seat behind him. A few minutes later, Pobe noticed that Auditor and Sanches were arguing.

Pobe then heard a gunshot and saw the victim reclined in his seat with a gunshot wound in his stomach.

The driver of the Sunrays bus rushed the victim to the nearest health center and asked an ambulance to bring the victim to the hospital.

The attending physician of the Oslob District Hospital referred the victim to a hospital in Cebu City for further treatment.

Auditor reportedly jumped out of the Sunrays bus and fled away.

Jabagat said when they conducted a follow-up investigation, they learned that Auditor transferred to a Ceres Bus en route to Cebu City.

The police immediately coordinated with the neighboring town of Moalboal to conduct a road block for the possible arrest of the suspect.  Moalboal police spotted Auditor on board the bus and immediately arrested him and confiscated a .357 magnum revolver with four live ammos. He was later turned over to the Samboan Police Station.

The suspect is now detained at Samboan detention cell while the police prepare appropriate charges against him. – /ATO (FREEMAN)