Police: Fiscal Castro killed by expert shooter

SOCO personnel examine the crime scene where former Cebu City Prosecutor Mary Ann Castro’s Nissan Juke ended up after she was shot on Thursday night. | CDNDigital photo Tonee Despojo

CEBU CITY, Philippines—It is very likely that former Cebu City Prosecutor Mary Ann Castro was shot by an expert gun shooter.

This was revealed by Chief Inspector Eduard Sanchez, the commander of the Abellana Police Station, as they begin to probe the death of Castro, who was ambushed on Thursday night, January 17, 2019.

According to Sanchez, a closer investigation of Castro’s Nissan Juke which she was driving upon her death, showed that the bullets’ entry points on the driver’s side window were precise and also showed that the shooter was in very close proximity.

This kind of shooting precision indicates that the perpetuator was adept with a .45 caliber pistol and was also close to the fiscal during the shooting, said Sanchez.

The police chief said that Castro was known to carry a personal firearm but because of the election gun ban, she probably had no means to retaliate.

Witnesses told the police that there was only one shooter onboard a motorcycle and single handedly shot the fiscal five times hitting her on the jaw and neck.

Sanchez said that someone may have already been watching the fiscal while she was on her way home from Ayala Center Cebu because the gunman had apparently followed Castro’s car while she was driving along Escario Street. A slight vehicle traffic in the area may have caused Castro to move along the road slowly. 

Read more: Prosecutor Mary Ann Castro shot, killed in Cebu City

Shot five times

Sanchez also clarified reports that the police failed to save Castro’s life after the shooting, saying that the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) arrived in the area first and declared Castro dead on the spot.

He said Castro was shot five times and was hit in the jaw and neck, which killed her before the EMS could save her. 

The Abellana police will continue investigating Castro’s death for the next 48 hours. After which, the Special Investigation Task Group (SITG) headed by Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) director, Senior Superintendent Royina Garma, will take over the case. 

Sanchez said they are now checking the closed circuit television (CCTV) footage of nearby establishments in the area for any leads on the identity of the perpetuator. 

Read more: Who wanted Mary Ann Castro dead?

They are looking into Castro’s job as a prosecutor as one of the major motives for her killing, but they are also not discounting the involvement of drugs with Castro’s past affiliation with the controversial cop, SPO1 Adonis Dumpit.

Prior to Castro’s death, she was assigned as a prosecutor in Masbate after a 90-day preventive suspension for a series of administrative charges over her conflict with some members of the family of her estranged husband, Leodegreco Sanchez, the son of the  late Cebu Vice Governor Gregorio Sanchez./mga