Yt Framework

Another two people were gunned down Wednesday night in the fresh wave of shooting incidents that broke out in two separate areas in the city, just three days after a barangay kagawad was shot to death in Barangay Divisoria.

The victims were identified as Edeilweiss Kris Dela Cruz, 31, single, and a resident of Sitio Lumiyap, Barangay Divisoria; and Robert Paduhilaga, 32, a native of South Cotabato, who was temporarily residing at Dacon in Barangay Recodo.

Both victims died on the spot after shot on their heads by unidentified gunmen riding-in-tandem on motocycles.

Dela Cruz, a real estate broker, was shot dead along Governor Camins Avenue; while Paduhilaga was shot to death by unidentified suspect at the dimly portion of Dacon in Barangay Recodo.

According to Sr. Inspector Arlan Delumpines, chief of the police's Criminal Investigation and Detective Management Unit (CIDMU), said Dela Cruz sustained multiple gunshot wounds on his head and some parts in the body.

Four spent shells and four deformed slugs of Caliber .45 Pistol were recovered by a responding team of police investigators and SOCO at the crime scene along Gov. Camins Avenue. Dela Cruz's motorcycle was also taken into custody by the responding team.

Police investigation showed the victim was traversing on board his motorcycle along the stretch of Governor Camins Avenue, heading Barangay Tetuan when shot by a gunman riding-in-tandem on a motorcycle.

Upon reaching in front of Flex Health and Body Spa, the suspect on board in a single motorcycle suddenly pumped the victim with bullets and the victim fell on the sidewalk of the road, according to the police report.

The victim was rushed by the emergency medical team to Zamboanga City Medical Center (ZCMC) for medical treatment but was pronounced by the doctors dead upon arrival in the hospital.

The body of the victim was brought to St. Peter Memorial Parlor for the post mortem and proper burial.

A police source said that they have forwarded Dela Cruz's cellular phone to the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) regional office to get and trace the deleted messages and calls.

Authorities are looking into possible angles, including love affair, as the motive for the incident.

Meanwhile, Ayala Police Station commander Sr. Inspector Edilberto Alvarez told reporters that Paduhilaga suffered a lone gunshot wound on his head which resulted to his instantaneous death.

Witnesses told police investigators that the assailant of Paduhilaga hurriedly boarded a Honda XRM motorcycle with combination red and black color then sped off towards the city proper direction.

Occular investigation conducted by the police investigators at the crime scene in Dacon, Barangay Recodo showed that there was no spent cartridge of a handgun found in the area.

The police are still investigating the incident to establish the motive and the identity of the assailant of Paduhilaga.

The cadaver of Paduhilaga was brought to Villa Funeral Homes for the post mortem examination. 

Alvarez told Zamboanga Today that they don’t discount the possibility that the incident is related to the illegal drugs trafficking in the area, where most of the incidents happened in the past were drug-related cases.

By Eugene A. Lasprilla