Hot pursuit on for suspect in shooting of ex-convict in Danao City

CEBU CITY, Philippines— The police is conducting a hot pursuit operation to find the suspect in the shooting of an ex-convict in Danao City on Tuesday afternoon, May 26, 2020.

 Juanito Flores Ole, a 35-year-old resident of sitio Caputatan, barangay Guinacot, in Danao City, was shot by a still unidentified suspect along E. Olivar Street in barangay Poblacion in this city approximately 48 kilometers north of Cebu City.

Danao city police chief Lieutenant Colonel Maribel Getigan told the media via a call conference on Wednesday, May 27, 2020, that they have already conducted a hot pursuit operation to catch the suspect/s of the killing.

“On going pa karon ang hot pursuit operation kay ang atong na interview nato nga witnesses kay de sakayanan man ang gi ingon nila nga gray Montero Sport wala kakita sa plate number. Sa amoa, hanging pa kaayo mi kay wala pa gyuy naka hatag og information as to the suspect,” said Getigan.

(We have an ongoing hot pursuit operation because based on the accounts of the witnesses we have interviewed, the gunman had an escape vehicle, they said it was a gray [Mistubishi] Montero Sport, but they could not see the plate number. In our case, we are still left hanging because we don’t have any other supporting information about the suspect.)

According to the desk officer of Danao Police Station, Police Staff Sergeant Alan Dirtutio, the victim was buying a banana cue along E. Olivar Street when an unidentified man walked towards him and shot him thrice before running to the getaway vehicle, reportedly a grey Mitsubishi Montero Sport.

Getigan confirmed that the victim was an ex-convict who was once imprisoned at the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa.

“Based sa information nga na kuha nato, kining tawhana gikan ni sa New Bilibid Prison. Ex-convict ni siya,” she said.

(Based on the information that we have collected, this victim was from the New Bilibid Prison. He’s an ex-convict.)

Getigan, though, said the investigating team is still working to find out what Ole’s case was and when he was released from Bilibid.

Authorities are hoping that they will be able to get more information that may help solve the case. As of this writing, police only have a cellphone recovered from the crime scene as evidence.

“Naa tay na kuha sa crime scene iyang cellphone, which i-submit pa sa RACU-7. Malay mo, naa tay ma kuha didto,” she added.

(We recovered his cellphone at the crime scene, which we will submit to the RACU-7 (Regional Anti-Cybercrime Unit in Region 7). Who knows? We might get some useful information from the cellphone.) /bmjo