1 dead in payroll robbery try

An executive of a courier company was killed yesterday morning by a still unidentified assailant in an unsuccessful attempt to steal payroll money the former had just withdrawn from a bank in Parañaque City.

Police said the victim, Alex Rivera, 45, manager of a door-to-door delivery service firm, withdrew P256,000, representing salaries of employees, from the automated teller machine of a bank on Dr. A. Santos Avenue, San Antonio at around 2 a.m.

Rivera placed the money inside his backpack, but just as he was about to get on his motorcycle, the suspect confronted him and announced the heist, prober SPO2 Carlos Rotoni said.

Out of fear, police said, the victim ran away, prompting the suspect to shoot him several times with a caliber .45 pistol.

Though wounded, Rivera was able hail a cab forcing his assailant to flee. Taxi driver Reynaldo Cristobal rushed the victim to the Parañaque Medical Center.

Police said Rivera was pronounced dead on arrival due to five gunshot wounds in different parts of the body.

Witnesses told probers that after the shooting, the suspect immediately fled on board a motorcycle driven by another man, believed to be the lookout.