ORMOC CITY– A 27-year-old farmer was shot dead in broad daylight by unidentified motorcycle-riding gunmen inside a public cemetery in Barangay Cautod, Sta. Margarita, Samar, on Sunday morning, July 27.
The victim, identified by police as alias Alvin Villarante, single, and a resident of Barangay Burabud, died instantly after sustaining multiple gunshot wounds.
According to a report from the Sta. Margarita Municipal Police Station (MPS), a concerned citizen called authorities at around 9:50 a.m. to report the shooting incident. Responding officers arrived at the cemetery and found Villarante’s lifeless body lying in a pool of blood.
Initial investigation revealed that Villarante was walking through the cemetery at around 9:30 a.m. when two men wearing black hooded jackets, riding a black NMAX motorcycle without a license plate, approached and opened fire without warning. The suspects fled the scene immediately after the attack.
Police said they are still determining the motive behind the killing and have yet to identify the suspects.
A follow-up investigation is underway, and a dragnet operation has been launched in coordination with nearby police stations to track down the perpetrators.
Authorities are appealing to the public for any information that may lead to the identification and arrest of the suspects.
(ROBERT DEJON)