CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – The police regional office-10 (PRO-10) has ordered a speedy investigation involving the killings of four persons , including two minors, in a village in Villanueva town, Misamis Oriental Sunday dawn, July 10.
Police reports revealed, the male victims were shot to death in Purok 9, Barangay Imelda, Villanueva at around 4:00 in the morning.
Police said all the victims sustained multiple gunshot wounds on their heads and different parts of their bodies.
The investigating team revealed that a motorcycle driver who was on his way tome to Sitio Loking in Barangay Dayawan, saw one of the victims lying on the cemented road, while the three others were still standing.
Police said the witness turned around to ask for help and when he came back, he saw the other three bodies sprawled on the road.
In an online interview, Lt. Col. Michelle Olaivar, PRO-10 spokesperson, said the witness thought the three victims, who were still alive at the time, were the perpetrators.
“He (witness) thought three persons he saw standing were the ones who executed the first victim,” Olaivar said.
She said the witness did not see the shooter and it was possible the killer hid in the bushes at that time.
Police added the victims’ hands were tied with tie wire and their mouths covered with duct tape.
Investigators also recovered five .45 caliber 39mm spent cartridges on the crime scene.
Meanwhile, Brig. Gen. Benjamin Acorda Jr., PRO-10 regional director, in a statement said he has already ordered the resolution of the shooting deaths.
“We have persons of interests… and our police stations are closely coordinating for the exchange of information. The way it was carried out was brutal and deserves condemnation to the highest degree,” Acorda said.
He said the victims have already been identified but police have yet to release their names as further investigation is still ongoing.
Whatever is the reason for the killing, Acorda said, the perpetrator has not right to take the lives of the victims.
The PRO-10 director has also instructed the chiefs of police involved in the investigation to gather all statements from victims’ relatives as early as now so their testimonies could be put into writing. -Jigger Jerusalem
