In a report, Western Police District-Station 3 (Blumentritt) station commander Superintendent Danilo Abarsoza, said Tony Tan y Bellesa, 42, of Tel Aviv street in Multinational Village, Parañaque City, was seated in the center back seat of a Starex van with plate number WHG-282 when the incident happened at about 5:50 p.m.
Tan, who owns the Homeware Plastics company at room 601 Titana Building, Oriente street in Binondo, was aboard the van with friends Augusto Yu and Mario Sy and driver Daniel Francisco and were on their way to the wake of another friend at Funeraria Paz on Tomas Mapua Street.
Police said the van was about to be parked near the funeral home when the lone suspect, armed with a pistol of unknown caliber, approached the vehicle’s right side and opened fire.
Tan, seated near the van’s right side, was hit once in the right hand, thrice in the chest and once in the right thigh. Bystanders recovered an empty caliber .45 shell at the scene.
The suspect then fled, leaving the other van passengers unhurt. Gathering his wits, Francisco drove the victim to the Metropolitan Hospital on Mayhaligue Street where Dr. Policarpio Santos declared him in critical condition.
Francisco later told police that Tan’s driver Carlito Puson, 37, of Sitio Rowbis, Bagong Silang, Caloocan City, was following the van aboard Tan’s Mitsubishi Galant car with plate number WAY-152 when the shooting happened. Police have yet to establish the motive for the shooting. – Mike Frialde and Nestor Etolle