by: Angelica Arquero
A 48-year-old man was shot dead by unidentified suspects riding a motorcycle in Bantay, Ilocos Sur, on Tuesday morning, October 1.
The victim had just stopped at a gas station in Barangay Cabalangan around 5:30 a.m. when one of the suspects approached and fired several shots.
He sustained four gunshot wounds to the head and chest.
Police said the man was rushed to the hospital but was declared dead on arrival.
“Based on our backtracking of CCTV footage, the images were not clear enough to identify the suspects,” said PCpt. Donaldson Pagalagan, officer-in-charge of Bantay Police.
He added that the victim and the gunman crossed paths near the gas station, and that was when the attack happened.
Pagalagan also confirmed that the victim had previously been linked to a shooting case in May last year but was released after the case was settled.
“We are looking into whether he had enemies in recent days, which could help us in the investigation,” Pagalagan said.
Authorities are still trying to determine the motive behind the killing and identify the riding-in-tandem suspects.
