Cebu City cops to possible witnesses: Help us catch killers of scavenger, ex-convict

Police examine the area where an unidentified man was found dead in Sitio San Vicente, Barangay Inayawan, Cebu City, on Thursday night, February 7, 2020. | Photo courtesy of Pardo Police Station

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Police are appealing to the public to help them in their investigation in two shooting incidents a day apart in Cebu City where a scavenger and a former convict were killed.

The Pardo Police are calling on the witnesses to come forward  and help them solve the killing of scavenger, Jessrel Sarto Panuncialman, 45, in Sitio San Vicente in Barangay Inayawan on Thursday, February 6, 2020 at nearly 11 p.m.

Police Corporal Jaymus Todios of the Pardo Police Station said they made their call for witnesses to come forward on Saturday, February 8, after the then unidentified body was positively identified by his sister, Jackielyn, 47, as that of Jessrel of Sitio Dumpsite, Barangay Inayawan.

Todios said Jackielyn visited the Saint Francis Funeral Parlor and identified the body as that of Jessrel.

Jessrel was found dead on Thursday, February 6, with a gunshot wound in the head and chest.

Todios said they believed that the perpetrator was a person who knew the victim and was believed to have harbored a grudge against the victim.

He, however, said that they were not discounting other possibilities on why Jessrel was killed.

He said they were also waiting for the family of the victim to visit the police station so they could give more information about the victim, which could help them in their investigation.

Police process the crime scene where Sherwin Regis, was shot dead, as he was sleeping on a wooden bed at the sidewalk of Legaspi Street, Barangay Santo Niño, Cebu City. | Photo

A day later on Friday at past 11 p.m., an unidentified assailant shot dead Sherwin Regis, 28, of Sitio Panting, Barangay San Roque, Cebu City.

Regis was sleeping on a wooden bed at the sidewalk with his common law wife along Legaspi Street in Barangay Santo Niño, Cebu City, when the assailant arrived and killed the victim, said  Police Major Joemar Pomarejos, chief of the Waterfront police station.

Pomarejos said that Regis was allegedly a former convict, who did time in jail for four years for robbery.

He said that Regis was released in 2018.

He said this was one of the things that they would investigate further — the background of the victim.

Aside from that, he was also appealing to the public especially to possible witnesses in the shooting to come forward and help them solve this crime.

Pomarejos said that Regis was shot in the head with what was believed to be a 9 mm caliber pistol.

He also said that they would also check on the security cameras in the nearby establishments to find if the suspect was caught on camera./dbs