Cebu City policemen on patrol nab one of shooting suspects

Police catches man in possession of an unlicensed firearm in in Brgy. Mabolo, Cebu City on Thursday, April 10, and discovered that he is one of the suspects behind a shooting incident that happened last March 27. | Contributed photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines — One of the perpetrators, who was allegedly behind the deadly March 27 shooting of a man who was playing basketball in Brgy. Mabolo, Cebu City,  has been apprehended.

The suspect reportedly admitted to the crime after he was arrested by police officers on patrol who saw him carrying an unlicensed firearm.

Police arrested 27-year-old Martin Aquino in Sitio San Vicente, Barangay Mabolo, Cebu City on Thursday, April 10.

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Police Lieutenant Colonel Maria Theresa Macatangay, deputy director for operations of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO), said that the police officers happened to notice the suspect in possession of an unlicensed firearm while they were patrolling the area at 1:25 a.m.

Aquino, a resident of Sitio Holy Name, Barangay Mabolo, is unemployed and allegedly tagged as a street-level individual (SLI).

He was caught with an unlicensed .38 caliber revolver loaded with live ammunition and 10 grams of suspected shabu. The pieces of drug evidence had an average market value of P68,000.

Macatangay said that after his arrest, Aquino admitted to being part of the group responsible for the death of Winston Primitiva, 32.

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Primitiva was playing basketball on March 27 when assailants arrived onboard a motorcycle and shot him in the body. He was declared dead on arrival at the hospital.

According to Macatangay, Aquino allegedly acted as a spotter during the shooting incident.

She added that the arrested suspect had relayed vital information that would aid in their investigation on the identities of his accomplices and the motive behind Primitiva’s killing.

As part of their investigation, police are looking into whether Aquino and his accomplices are members of a gun-for-hire group.

Macatangay pointed out that this development on the case matches with their initial assessment that Primitiva’s death was linked with activities related to illegal drugs.

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This was after they discovered that the victim had been arrested six times in the past – three for selling illegal drugs and another three times for the possession of loose firearms. During these times, he was released after posting bail.

As of this writing, Aquino is detained at the Mabolo Police Station’s custodial facility while charges for the possession of illegal drugs and loose firearms, and violation of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) gun ban are set to be filed against the suspect.