A group of armed men allegedly kicked and pointed guns at a group of individuals in Barangay Tapon, Dumanjug, Cebu on Sunday, October 29, 2023, or a day before the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections. | Screenshot from video courtesy of Tapon Unya
CEBU CITY, Philippines – Dumanjug police have filed charges of grave threat and attempted homicide against the four suspects who were seen in a viral video harassing a group of men in Barangay Tapon, Dumanjug, southern Cebu on the eve of the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections.
Police Colonel Percival Zorrilla, provincial director of the Cebu Police Provincial Office (CPPO), told reporters on Tuesday, November 7, 2023, that the cases have been filed against the four suspects who were identified after further investigation.
One of the suspects was earlier identified as a former barangay captain who ran and won as barangay councilor during the elections on October 30. His name is withheld pending investigation.
Zorrilla disclosed that another suspect was killed during a shootout with law enforcers that transpired in Barangay Kolabtingon, Dumanjug on Sunday afternoon, November 5.
READ: One of the suspects in BSKE-harassment in Dumanjug killed in shootout with police
The suspect was identified as Godofredo Mansanadez.
Mansanadez died after he allegedly shot it out with policemen in an attempt to escape from authorities who were coming to arrest him for his alleged involvement in the harassment incident.
Operatives recovered from the suspect a .45 caliber pistol and a hand grenade.
According to Zorrilla, they will be launching a deeper investigation to verify reports that Mansanadez was a gun-for-hire and to determine if he was a member of a gun-for-hire group.
He added that the same suspect, who is from Barangay Apo, Argao, was also accused of being responsible for two previous shooting incidents that resulted in the death of two persons.
Mansanadez was allegedly involved in a shooting incident in Barangay Kalunasan, Cebu City on October 31 and in the killing of 24-year-old Climark Blanco in Dumanjug on October 29.
READ: More enforcers deployed to Argao, Dumanjug towns following harassment reports
Zorrilla said that they would be looking deeper into the background of the suspect and his alleged work as a hitman.
It can be recalled that four individuals were victimized by a group of armed men in a village in Dumanjug, southern Cebu on Sunday evening, October 29.
The incident was captured on video and shared by a citizen online.
The video showed a group of individuals approaching and brandishing different calibers of firearms at some men who were sitting in a waiting shed. The assailants also allegedly kicked some of the victims before leaving the scene onboard their vehicle.
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