KILLINGS CONTINUE: Couple, tricycle driver shot dead

By Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD City – Three persons, including a couple, were gunned down by unidentified perpetrators in separate shooting incidents here and in Negros Occidental last Thursday.

In Sagay City, a teacher and her husband were murdered at Purok Diot, Barangay Molocaboc around 6:30 p.m.

Killed were Ermelito Desamparado, 46, and his wife Melani Desamparado, 44, a teacher, both residents of the said village.

Police Lieutenant Abundio Diaz, deputy police chief of Sagay City Police Station, said Ermelito was fetching Melani at the wharf when a lone suspect shot them.

The husband suffered a lone gunshot wound in his head, while the wife succumbed to a lone gunshot wound in the abdomen, based on the postmortem examination, Diaz said.

Diaz said the perpetrator may have tailed the husband while fetching his wife from school or may have waited for the couple to pass by the area again after coming from the wharf.

Police said they already have a person of interest, but they could not yet determine the motive.

“Gina check ta pa kag kinahanglan ta gid witness,” Diaz said.

Diaz said they have yet to check if the victims had previous threats.

Meanwhile, a tricycle driver was also shot dead at Sharina Heights Subdivision, Barangay Taculing here around 11 p.m.

Police identified the fatality as Arnold Bayking, 44, of the said village.

Police Major Leo Estopa, head of Police Station 6, said that Bayking was supposed to send home his female passenger when the gunmen probably tailed them.

Bayking succumbed to a lone gunshot wound in the head, while his passenger was unscathed.

Estopa said they have yet to establish the motive of the incident, as they are still checking his background.

“Indi man siya drug personality, and according sa family niya, wala man siya daw kontra, puzzle pa ini sa amon,” the station commander added.

Estopa said the victim’s passenger was also part of the investigation, as she was the last person seen with the victim.

“We’ll check if basi siya (passenger) man target pero wala siya maano, ga cooperate man siya sa investigation,” he added.