Senior Police Officer 4 Danilo Reyes, assigned at the National Capital Region Police Office-Service Support Group, died on the spot from a lone gunshot wound.
Superintendent Hospicio Guevarra, chief of the Western Police District-Station 7, was quick to point out that Reyes’ killing was not considered as an ambush, but a simple homicide.
"Homicide lang yun, hindi ambush," said Guevarra when asked by The STAR on the reported shooting incident that took place at around 2:45 p.m. on 1015 Callejo Saavedra street in Hermosa, Tondo.
Guevarra was apparently trying to downplay Reyes’ killing, which may be considered the seventh ambush in the country’s capital since July 1.
Witnesses, who refused to be named, said the victim was chatting with friends in the area, including a certain Elisa Eugenio, when a lone gunman approached him. The victim had been in the area since noon.
The assassin pulled out a caliber .45 handgun and shot Reyes in the head. The killer described as 5’5 in height with light complexion fled after the incident.
Responding lawmen said several people, who were in the area at the time of the shooting refused to cooperate with investigators for fear of reprisal.
Last July 1, Philippine sports patron Go Teng Kok survived an ambush carried out by a lone gunman in front of the Philippine Amateur Track and Field Association (PATAFA) office.
This was followed by an attack on Customs collector Felipe Bartolome last July 25 near the Anda Circle in Port Area, Manila. He also survived the attack but his aide was killed.
From Aug. 13 to Aug. 20, the WPD Homicide Section reported four ambuscades, wherein all the targets were killed.
Chief Inspector Gerry Agunod, spokesman of the Western Police District (WPD) considered as "isolated" the series of ambuscades in the country’s capital and urged the public not to be alarmed.
But a veteran WPD investigator said the series of killings in Manila are indicative of police inefficiency to thwart crime in Manila.
"You see, majority of policemen are being tapped to help in the government’s effort against illegal drugs and destabilization attempts, thus rendering them ineffective against street crimes and robberies," an investigator told The STAR on condition of anonymity.
Metro police chief Deputy Director General Reynaldo Velasco earlier ordered all the directors of the five police districts and 38 station commanders in the metropolis to be on alert against guns-for-hire in Metro Manila. – With Edu Punay