Police: Businessman got threats prior to ambush

Police said Cebu City businessman Jonathan Go had reportedly received threats before Monday morning’s ambush attempt outside his home in Happy Valley, barangay Guadalupe, Cebu City.

“We looked into the possible suspects in the case as well as motives like grudges or business transactions gone wrong. We also learned that he received some threats prior to the ambush,” Senior Supt. Noli Romana, Cebu City police chief said.

He did not elaborate to avoid jeopardizing the ongoing investigation.

The police chief said Go, who underwent surgery for a gunshot wound in the torso, was in stable condition in a private hospital. His daughter was treated for a gunshot wound on her arm.

Police reviewed footage of the closed circuit camera TV (CCTV) camera which recorded part of the ambush attempt which transpired just as Go and his daughter drove out of their gated home at 7:16 a.m.

Romana and Supt. Romeo Santander, chief of the Cebu City police’s City Intelligence Branch (CIB), said the body movements of the two assailants showed that they were amateurs.

Nanny

“By looking at the gunman, (he’s an) amateur, not a professional gunman. Murag gigukod og iro. Og naa gyud moy plano, di mo mag-atbangay. (He ran away in a panic as if he was being chased by a dog after the shooting. If they really had a plan they would not have positioned themselves opposite each other,)” Santander said.

He was referring to both gunmen opening fire at both sides of the car facing each other.
The family’s red Toyota driven by Go had just left the gate when the ambush occurred.On board were Go, his daughter and her nanny, Emily.

Condition

Contrary to an earlier report, the video footage showed the daughter getting into the back seat of the car with her nanny, after her stroller bag was loaded in the trunk.

One man wearing a ball cap and black shirt was seen waiting outside the compound. On seeing the car, he went to the driver’s side and fired twice at Go. A second assailant fired at the passenger’s side.

The second shooter then appeared to peer into the vehicle and noticing the vacant seat beside Go, and fired at the back seat where the little girl and her nanny were seated.

Go’s wife Hazel was seen going in and out of the house in a panic before approaching the car while her neighbors helped her check on her husband and daughter’s condition.

Go was previously connected with AGL Surplus, a distributor of second hand vehicles. Police said he is engaged in the buy and sell of car spare parts.

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