Tejero shooting: Two dead victims identified; cops turn to CCTV in probe

Victims were eating when shot: Man was target, woman was hit by stray bullet; both died in attack

Scene of the Crime operatives process the crime scene where a man, who was eating inside a barbeque grill house in Barangay Tejero was shot dead and his female companion was wounded by a stray bullet and died in the hospital later. The attack happened in Barangay Tejero, Cebu City on September 1, 2023. | Contributed photo via Paul Lauro

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The two victims, who died after the shooting attack on September 1, 2023, while they were eating inside a barbeque grill house in Barangay Tejero, Cebu City, have been identified.

According to Chief Master Sergeant Edario Manatad of the Waterfront Police Station of the Cebu City Police Office that the shooting victim was Mark Anthony Badayos, 26, of Barangay Pardo, Cebu City.

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Dead woman companion identified

Manatad also identified Badayos’ female companion, who later died in the hospital after the attack, as Niña Mejos Mahaffy, 42, of Badian town in southern Cebu.

The police officer said that Badayos was the target of the gunman while Mahaffy was only hit by a stray bullet during the attack.

Manatad also said that they were looking for another woman companion of Badayos and Mahaffy, who was with them during the attack.

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How Tejero shooting happened

The police officer said that initial investigation showed that Badayos, Mahaffy and another still unidentified woman were eating inside the barbeque grill house when a man, wearing a food delivery uniform and a full face helmet, approached Badayos and his companions.

The man then pulled out a gun, which police believed to be a .45 caliber pistol, and shot Badayos twice at the back of the head.

Manatad said, citing the police report, that when Badayos fell down, the gunman shot him twice more on the chest.

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Woman hit by stray bullet, died in hospital

Mahaffy, who was hit by a stray bullet, still managed to run out of the establishment together with the still unidentified female companion.

She was rushed to the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center.

Manatad said that she later died in the hospital because of her gunshot wound.

The unidentified gunman then fled on a motorcycle after the attack.

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How Tejero shooting victim was identified

Police Chief Master Sergeant Erasmo Rosel Jr. of the Waterfront Police Station, for his part, said that they managed to trace the sister of Badayos through Facebook, who in turn informed their mother about it, and who then visited the police station and confirmed that the dead victim was her son.

Rosel also said that they were checking the CCTV footage of the nearby establishments and the Cebu City hotel where Badayos and Mahaffy allegedly stayed for more than a week.

The police officer said that in their investigation of the shooting, they were already conducting  background checks on the victims and coordinating with their counterparts in Badian town where Mahaffy was residing, and Toledo City where Badayos was believed to have been from. | With a report from Niña Mae Oliverio

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