Medellin police: No threats on former mayor’s life before attack

This is the private hospital in Medellin town where former Mayor Ricky Ramirez was detained for a year. This is the same hospital where he was killed by at least 15 unknown assailants. | CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Medellin police said that they were well aware of the presence of a high-profile inmate in a private hospital in the town and have provided enough security to assist the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) in securing the facility.

Police Major Audie Pelayo, chief of Medellin Police Station, said they were fully aware that former Mayor and outgoing councilor Ricardo “Ricky” Ramirez was under hospital arrest in the private facility for illegal possession of firearms and drug paraphernalia in 2017.

The hospital is located at least 4.2 kilometers from the Medellin town proper.

Although the security of Ramirez relies mostly on the BJMP, Pelayo said they have always been ready for back-up in case of any problems.

Pelayo said they conducted nightly patrols in the area to detect any suspicious activities.

He said the hospital is one of their stops every night.

They did not expect the hospital to be attacked by 15 armed men on board a car and three sports utility vehicles (SUV) on the night of June 18.

The patrol car of the Medellin police was actually within two kilometers in the nearby Sitio Kawit during the attack.

They were on the way to the hospital as their final stop before returning to the towm center.

The hospital staff were unable to report the incident to the police immediately when the armed men barged in because the perpetrators allegedly collected their phones.

“When the armed men arrived, they pointed guns at everyone, disarmed the guards, took their phones, and asked them all to drop on the ground. The witnesses said everything happened fast, it took less than 10 minutes to finish the crime,” said Pelayo in the Visayan language.

The security guard of the hospital, Carlito Busas, told the police that his only outside connection was his handheld radio device.

Hiding from the perpetrators, Busas managed to send a message to another security guard from a nearby milling company, who in turn sent a report to the police.

The Medellin police arrived 30 minutes later but the suspects have already left the area.

Pelayo said the attack was unexpected as the Ramirez family claimed they did not receive any death threats and were simply awaiting for the release of the former mayor.

Pelayo has ordered investigators to look for any witnesses along the roads that the convoy may have passed.

Hopes are not high though because even in the town proper, the people were already asleep as the incident happened a few minutes before midnight.

“Nobody noticed. People in Medellin usually sleep early,” said Pelayo.

Pelayo said that they are still looking for evidence on the 15 armed men who are responsible for the former mayor’s death.

The Cebu Provincial Police Office (CPPO) will take over the investigation once a Special Investigation Task Group has been formed.  / celr