Woman who just withdrew money from bank shot dead by thieves

A 37-year-old single mother was gunned down Friday afternoon by one of three motorcycle-riding robbers who took the P100,000 cash she just withdrew from a bank in Manila.

The Manila Police District (MPD) homicide section on Saturday released a computer-generated facial composite of the shooter, based on descriptions given by witnesses to the killing of Shiela Mendoza, of Interior 41, Barrio Sta. Maria, in Paco.

PO3 Jupiter Tajonera, of the MPD homicide section, told the Inquirer that Mendoza had been shot by one of the ruthless robbers even after they had gotten hold of her shoulder bag containing the cash.

Hands shot

“He (robber) shot her hands so she would let go of her bag because she was fighting him off. While she was lying on the pavement and the suspect already had her bag, the robber shot her two more times before boarding a getaway motorcycle,” Tajonera pointed out.

Mendoza was declared dead on arrival by attending doctors at the Sta. Ana Hospital from three bullet wounds in the hands and in the chest.

Case investigator SPO2 Benito Cabatbat said that the incident happened at around 1 p.m., Friday, along Pedro Gil Street in Paco.

Cabatbat revealed that several minutes before the incident, Mendoza withdrew P100,000 from a bank’s Sta. Ana branch and had boarded a passenger jeepney home.

She had just alighted from the PUJ and was walking to her house when a man grabbed her shoulder bag from behind. Mendoza struggled and tried to wrest away her bag from the man, who poked a .45 caliber pistol at her.

Resisted

Cabatbat said that despite the gun aimed at her, Mendoza still resisted prompting the robber to shoot her hands.  The gunshot wound caused the victim to reel and fall on the pavement.

As soon as the gun-toting man had obtained the shoulder bag he fired at the woman, who was then nursing her wounded hands, twice in the chest before running towards his two companions who were riding tandem on a red Kawazaki motorcycle across the street.

Witnesses to the incident only caught a glimpse of the numbers 8985 of the license plate before the motorcycle  sped away.

Tajonera told the Inquirer that Mendoza had left behind a 13-year-old daughter and had withdrawn the sum from the bank for house repairs.

“She (Mendoza) had no job and relied on a sibling abroad for her and her daughter’s subsistence,” he revealed, adding that the robber did not have to kill her because he had already taken the money.

Based on descriptions given by the witnesses of the gunman, the suspect is between 35 and 40 years old, at least five-foot-three inches tall,  dark-skinned, of heavy build, clad in a blue shirt worn over maong pants.

Tipped off

Tajonera said that the suspects may have been tipped off to the amount of money the victim withdrew prompting them to follow her from the bank.

Mendoza’s body was brought to the St. Yvan funeral parlor for autopsy and safekeeping as MPD operatives conduct follow-up operations for the suspects’ identification and arrest.