DAVAO CITY (June 20)— The former Mayor of Medellin, Cebu City was killed by four still unknown gunmen inside his room at a private hospital in Cebu City, late Tuesday night, June 18.
Former Medellin Mayor Ricardo Ramirez was killed by still unknown assassins around 11:50 p.m. Tuesday inside his room at the Bogo-Medellin Medical Center (BMMC), where he was under hospital arrest.
Brigadier General Debold Senas of Police Regional Office-7, has directed the Medellin Municipal Police Station and other police units to conduct an immediate investigation and give justice to the victim and his family.
Major Audie Pelayo, Medellin police chief, said they have yet to establish the motive behind the killing of Ramirez and they are looking at all angles, including the ex-mayor’s alleged involvement in illegal drugs.
Reports claimed, at least 15 armed men barged into the BMMC and disarmed the hospital’s security personnel and the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology guard assigned to Ramirez.
The suspects also took hold the mobile phones of the hospital personnel.
Ramirez was able to run and tried to hide inside the comfort room but the suspects found him and shot several times.
Pelayo said it would be hard to identify the suspects as the BMMC has no closed-circuit television cameras (CCTV) but hot-pursuit operations are ongoing against the armed men who fled the scene aboard four vans.
Recovered from Ramirez’s hospital room were 35 slugs from an M4 carbine rifle and 9mm pistol as well as some drug paraphernalia.
Ramirez was arrested in July 2017 for possession of illegal firearms. He was placed under hospital arrest due to hypertension.
The former mayor was also tagged by the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas as one of the government officials involved in the illegal drugs trade two years ago.Meanwhile, PNP spokesperson, Col. Bernard Banac assured the public that the peace and order situation in Cebu is under control and that their forces there remain vigilant against all forms of criminality. –Paul Allegre/NewsLine.ph
