Strawberry dies in Parañaque hospital

Former child actress Strawberry, who was ambushed Tuesday, died at 4:46 p.m. yesterday at the Parañaque Medical Center after her family decided to take her out of the life support system.

Strawberry was earlier declared as "clinically dead" due to the three gunshot wounds she sustained in her back, one of which damaged her brain. The actress has been at the Intensive Care Unit of the hospital since Tuesday.

"It was a family decision," said one hospital staff.

The former child actress showed signs of improvement yesterday morning, according to her mother, but her condition suddenly worsened at 4 p.m. She never recovered.

Meanwhile, Mark Doromal, said to be Strawberry’s boyfriend, appears to be evading not only the Las Piñas police investigators but the girl’s parents as well, sources said.

Oscar Baldo, father of the 1980’s child actress whose real name is Anouk "Nuchie" Sumaya Baldo, expressed dismay at the "strange behavior" of Doromal since the shooting of her adopted daughter.

Baldo said he hardly knows Doromal, said to be a son of a police major who owns a security agency, as they were never introduced to each other.

Baldo, who was at the Parañaque Medical Center when reached over the phone by reporters, said he received reports that Doromal may instead submit himself for investigation to the National Bureau of Investigation.– Jose Aravilla