Neighbors’ spat leads to tragic shooting
A policeman makes a call as he stands near the covered remains of the gunshot victims in a private subdivision in Consolacion town. (CDN PHOTO/ NORMAN V. MENDOZA)
Two men were fatally shot Wednesday by their neighbor who got angry after his pick-up truck was pelted with stones allegedly by the children of one of the men.
The bloodbath took place in a private subdivision in barangay Pitogo, Consolacion town in north Cebu.
Both fatalities were from Danao City – Joselito Batucan, 31 who was a call center agent and Bruce Gomez, 41, a carpenter.
The suspected gunman, Filmar Ibale, fled.
Police said Ibale owns a school in barangay Canduman, Mandaue City.
Police said Ibale confronted Lorena Batucan after her children allegedly threw stones at his Ford Ranger pick-up truck which was parked on the road in Golden Bloom Acres subdivision.
When the woman’s husband arrived home at 10 a.m. Wednesday, he was told about the incident by his wife’s cousin, who lives nearby and saw the incident.
Batucan went to the suspect’s house and confronted him but Lorena managed to pacify her husband.
Later in the afternoon, Gomez, the carpenter, arrived at Batucan’s home.
Lorena told police that her husband and Gomez had a few rounds of beer before they went back to Ibale’s house where another confrontation ensued.
This time, however, Ibale was armed with a handgun and fired at the victims.
Batucan sat near the pavement outside Ibale’s house and raised his hands in surrender but the neighbor went on to shoot him and Gomez in the head.
Lorena said Ibale also aimed his gun at her but she managed to run away.
Batucan sustained seven gunshot wounds in the head and body while Gomez had six.
The subdivision’s security guard, Robert Collamares of the GISA Security Agency, said he also heard gunfire and tired to check where it came from.
By then, residents told him the suspect had already sped away on a motorcycle.
Police recovered 16 spent shells and two slugs of a .45 caliber bullet from the crime scene.
Police looked for Ibale in his other house in barangay Cubacub in Mandaue City.
His parents said he never showed up there.
Murder charges will be filed against Ibale at the Mandaue City Prosecutor’s Office.
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