A taxi driver from Lapu-Lapu City was gunned down by still unidentified assailants in Barangay Canamucan II, Compostela town, on Monday morning, July 19, 2021. | Photo from Compostela PS
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Police are now looking for more witnesses to help them solve the shooting to death of a taxi driver on Monday morning, July 19 in Barangay Canamucan II in Compostela town.
This was after they failed to recover the Secure Digital card (SD card) of the dashboard video camera mounted on the unit of the taxi driven by the victim.
The missing SD card was discovered after Compostela police conducted an ocular inspection of the taxi today, July 20, a day after 53-year-old Antonio Taneo’s body was found.
Police Lieutenant Samuel Negro, acting chief of the Compostela Police Station, said that they found a functional dashboard video camera inside the taxi but with a missing SD card.
Negro added that they are now convinced that the killing is drug-related following the testimony of the victim’s sister, Northel Taneo, 47, who told them that her brother is involved in illegal drugs in their place in Lapu-Lapu City.
The sister further revealed that on February 16, 2018, her brother was arrested by the City Intelligence Unit of Lapu-Lapu City Police Office but was released under probation on September 4, 2019, by the Regional Trial Court Branch 54 of the said city.
The sister also added that while her brother was under probation, he was also arrested on May 12, 2020, for the same offense by members of the Station Drug Enforcement Unit of Lapu-Lapu City Police Station 5 in Barangay Pusok.
The victim, according to the sister posted bail for his temporary liberty while his case is being heard at the Regional Trial Court, Branch 72 of Lapu-Lapu City.
As of this posting, Negro said that they are coordinating with the Regional Crime Laboratory Office which conducted an autopsy on the victim.
Negro is calling on those who witnessed the shooting incident to come out and coordinate with them.
On July 19, Taneo was gunned down in broad daylight by still unidentified individuals. Scene of the Crime Operatives allegedly found a sachet of suspected shabu weighing 0.08 grams inside the bag of the victim with an estimated market value of P544 only.
SOCO also found a bullet slug and five fired cartridges of caliber 45 inside the victim’s taxi.
READ: Lapu-Lapu taxi driver gunned down in Compostela