Three dead as two former friends’ feud leads to shooting incident in Sambag 1

Scene of the crime operatives process the area where the shooting incident happened in Barangay Sambag 1 in Cebu City. Three persons were killed in this incident on Monday, January 21. Photo by Benjie Talisic

CEBU CITY, Philippines — A feud between two former friends ended in a bloody shooting confrontation today (January 21)  in Barangay Sambag 1 in Cebu City, ending in the death of three persons — a father and a son on one side and one of two brothers on the other side.

Inspector Gomersindo Mandawe, Abellana Police Station deputy chief, said in an interview with Cebu Daily News Digital that the past 6 a.m. confrontation between members of the Bacaltos and Navales families at P. Del Rosario St. led to the death of the father Edwin, 58, and his son Shaun, 22,  of the Bacaltos family; and on the Navales family side, Vanzant, one of the two brothers involved in the feud.

Mandawe said that initial investigation showed that Vanzant together with his brother, Vincent, and three still unidentified companions arrived in a car in front of the house of the Bacaltos family along P. Del Rosario St.

Witnesses told police that Vanzant allegedly cursed a family member of the Bacaltoses prompting the father, Edwin, his sons Shaun and Michael to go out of their house to confront the Navales brothers.

An argument then ensued,  which resulted to Vanzant allegedly pulling out a gun that ended in a scuffle between Edwin and Vanzant, and with the gun going off, hitting Edwin in the stomach.

Mandawe said that Michael,  the elder brother of Shaun, allegedly later admitted that he was the one who shot Vanzant, with Vanzant’s gun.

Police were still investigating how Shaun was shot.

Mandawe said that Edwin and Shaun both died at the hospital  while Vanzant died on the spot.

Mandawe said that they recovered a 9mm Glock 17 pistol at the crime scene.

Mandawe said they were still looking for Vincent Navales, the elder brother of Vanzant, who allegedly fled following the bloody incident.

Mandawe said they believed that the killing was caused by a personal grudge between former friends, Vanzant Navales and Michael Bacaltos, who were former members of a car racing team in Cebu City.

According to Mandawe, the Bacaltos family and the Navales brothers also had at least three arguments in the previous year, with the Bacaltos family turning to the barangay to settle their differences. But the Navales brothers allegedly did not show up in these barangay mediation meetings.

Michael Bacaltos is now detained at the Abellana Police Station while police were still conducting a hot pursuit operation against Vincent Navales, who was allegedly wounded in the shooting incident, and his companions./dbs