DANAO, Bohol, Philippines — By chance, motorcycle-riding armed tandem spotted a target - the officer-in-charge of Danao Police Station - by a roadside in Barangay Santa Fe here at around 7:30 p.m. of April 29 and took the opportunity to accomplish what seemed to be a mission.
The two gunmen remain at large, leaving no hint on their identities except unfamiliar faces and uncertain model of motorcycle used, and that they used caliber .45 pistol.
The 47-year-old victim, SPO1 Noel E. Romagos, was on his motorcycle by a roadside when the two men riding a motorcycle slowed down and glanced at him.
When they had recognized his semblance, they turned around and pretended to ask for a direction.
In a split of a second, the backrider pumped bullets on Romagos, hitting his head and some parts of the body.
Romagos was waiting for his wife, Evelyn, who had to fetch a relative in a nearby house.
They were already heading home to Barangay Cantubod and must have been asked to fetch someone in Barangay Santa Fe, about a kilometer to their residence.
Police Officer 3 Araceli Wagwag of Danao Police Station described Romagos as aggressive in his campaign against criminalities in his area of responsibility and went hands-on in investigation and prosecution.
She said responding cops managed to rush Romagos to the San Miguel Municipal Hospital but was declared dead on arrival by Dr. Eduardo Abellar.
Investigators could not conclude yet on the motive and the identity of the gunmen.
Danao Mayor Natividad Gonzaga seeks justice for Romagos.
Police Provincial Director Dennis Agustin immediately sent a team to hunt down the gunmen and ordered for the creation of a task group that will undertake a parallel investigation.
Danao Police Station still awaits official directive from higher headquarters on the designation of a new officer in charge at their station.
For his part, SPO4 Dario Nuez of San Miguel police station said they immediately put up some road blocks on all possible exit points of the criminals.
Nuez said he had once been assigned in Danao and having known the victim personally, he and some comrades rushed to the hospital and saw the gunshot wounds on the victim's head and some parts of the body./JMD (FREEMAN)