Suspect in STL ‘bookies’ operation gunned down in Lucena

LUCENA CITY – A suspect in past illegal Small Town Lottery (STL) or “bookies” operations was shot and killed by riding-in-tandem gunmen here on Saturday night, police said.

Shervin Suarez, 23, was repeatedly shot while driving his car by still unidentified assailants at the corner of the city’s main street in Barangay (village) 1 around 6:45 p.m., Lt. Colonel Reydante Ariza, Lucena police chief, said in a report.

One of the gunmen armed with caliber 45 pistol even stepped down from the motorcycle, grabbed the victim out of his car, and left his body sprawled on the pavement. The assailants hurriedly escaped after the shooting.

The victim died while undergoing treatment in Mt. Carmel General Hospital

Recovered from the crime scene were six spent bullet shells.

Police said the victim had cases of illegal gambling specifically “bookies” operations in 2015, 2016 and 2017. But the report did not explain his supposed involvement in the “bookies” if it was as bet collector or financier.

Police were still conducting an investigation on the incident. /je