This is the area where the 17-year-old boy was shot dead by a gunman, thinking that he was his target. | Paul Lauro
CEBU CITY, Philipppines — A 16-year-old boy, who was set to graduate for Grade 12 on the next school year, would never realize his dream to become a policeman. Aside from that, he would not be able to also celebrate his 17th birthday alive this month.
This was after he was shot dead by an unidentified gunman, who had mistaken the victim as his target — a man who claimed to be a former police asset.
The victim and the target and several other people then were watching a sandlot basketball game in Sitio Exoville, Barangay Basak Pardo, Cebu City at past 6 p.m. on Thursday, June 5.
It was at this time when the gunman and 2 other cohorts arrived on a motorcycle. The gunman then got off the motorcycle, approached the target and started firing at him.
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These caused the crowd and the basketball players to scamper in different directions. The victim, however, got rattled and ran to the target’s house nearby.
“Naay nipusil, sir. Nagtan-aw ra gyod na siya sa basketan. Pagpusil, mao rag narattle siya, ang iyang gidaganan ang balay sa target,” said the sister of the victim during a radio station dyHP interview today.
(There was someone who started shooting, sir. He was just watching the basketball game. When the shooting started, he got rattled and ran to the house of the target.)
The victim and the target ended up running side by side, but then the target changed direction and allegedly headed away from his house.
The target of the gunman escaped unscathed as he ran away from the direction of his house.
The gunman saw the victim running towards the target’s house, and shot him outside the house of the target.
“Mao rag mistaken identity, sir,” said a neighbor of the victim, who claimed that she was close with the victim’s family.
(It seemed also like a mistaken identity, sir.)
She said this during the interview at dyHP today.
The victim was hit in the right side of his body.
Meanwhile, the gunmen, who arrived on a motorcycle, fled after shooting the victim.
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“Buhi pa na siya pagabot nako, sir. Pero wa na nigawas na ang dugo sa iyang baba,” she said.
(He was still alive when I arrived. But blood was already coming out of his mouth by then.)
The sister said that her brother died in the hospital.
She said that he was supposed to turn 17 on June 15.
The neighbor said that the victim also dreamed of becoming a policeman someday.
“Gusto gyod unta na siya magpolis,” the neighbor said.
(He would have wanted to become a policeman.)
The sister said the victim had completed 11th grade and had been enrolled to the 12th grade and would have graduated if he finished 12th grade.
The target, on the other hand, who escaped unscathed, was later arrested by police when he was reported at 10 p.m. on Thursday, walking back and forth outside his house with a pugakhang or an improvised shotgun.
Police Master Sergeant Alfredo Macabudbud Jr., investigating officer of the Inayawan Police Station, said that they already had a person of interest (POI) in the shooting.
Macabudbud also confirmed that the arrested suspect, also known as Ating, who was earlier the target of the gunmen in the 6 p.m. attack, admitted that he was a former police asset, who had done work for the authorities.
“Basi sa among interview, ni Ating, kanhi kuno siya informant. Daghan siyag natrabaho. Unya kaning nahitabo karon parte gihapon ni siya sa iyang trabaho sa una,” the police officer said.
(Based on our interview with Ating, he is a former informant. He already had done many jobs. And what happened now is part of his work before.)
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Macabudbud confirmed that it was possible that those who tried to kill Ating were drug personalities, whom he crossed.
“Mga drug personality nga mga sinugo ra gihapon ba,” he said of the gunmen and his 2 cohorts in the Thursday attack.
(Drug personalities who were also tasked to do the job.)
He also said that one of their jobs would be to identify and arrest the drug personality behind the attempted hit on Ating and the killing of the 16-year-old boy.
Police continue to investigate the killing of the teenager.
As for Ating, he was detained at the police station, pending the filing of illegal possession of firearm charges.