Taxi cab executions

Two persons were shot dead in cold-blood inside a taxi cab near the South Cemetery in Makati City yesterday in what appears to be apparent gangland-style executions, the police said.

Inspector Romeo Ramos, chief of the Makati City police Homicide Division said that the killings took place at around 2:45 a.m. along Metropolitan Avenue in Barangay Bel-Air.

One of the victims was identified as Richard Zervoulakus from Barangay upper Bicutan, Taguig based on the traffic violation receipt (TVR) recovered from the victim’s body.

The other victim was described only as male, between the ages of 30 to 35, stocky build, sporting a crew-cut and clad in a gray T-shirt and denims.

An investigation conducted by PO2 Reynaldo Juan resulted in the discovery of a scavenger who witnessed the entire incident. Based on the testimony of the witness, he was standing on top of a tomb located at the area of the cemetery overlooking Metropolitan Avenue when the murders took place.

The witness said he saw a taxi cab bearing the name of Nine Stars and plate number PXA-608 escorted by two motorcycles. Then he saw the taxi cab pull over the side of the road and a man wearing a bull cap stepped out from the driver’s side, the witness said.

As soon as the man got out, he pulled out a gun and fired several shots at the direction of the passengers at the back seat of the taxi cab.

The man then boarded one of the waiting motorcycles which sped-off towards the direction of Pasong Tamo.

Investigators who arrived on the scene saw the two victims slumped at the back seat of the taxi with their hands tied around their backs.

Ramos said that the number of shots fired at the two men indicated that the gunman wanted to make sure that the victims were dead.

The remains of the two men are presently at the Veronica Funeral Parlor in Pasay City.

Meanwhile, a hotel security guard met a terrible death yesterday afternoon after he accidentally stepped into a car-less elevator inside a Manila condominium, police investigators said.

Sketchy police reports identified the victim as Gilbert Laloreal, 28, security guard of the Midland Plaza Condominium in Ermita, Manila.

According to police reports, Laloreal walked into the elevator door at the condominium’s fifth floor not knowing that the elevator car was not there. Reports said the victim then fell inside the elevator shaft to his death on the basement.

As of presstime, homicide detectives of the Western Police District are still investigating the incident.

The STAR tried to reach the condominium’s administration staff but failed to get their comments on the incident. – Marvin Sy and Mike Frialde