2 killed on way home from wake in QC

MANILA, Philippines — Two people on their way home were shot dead on Sunday morning in Tondo, Manila, by a man on a motorcycle.

According to the police, 31-year-old Rina Lopez and 22-year-old Jairus Mendez were also on a motorcycle and traveling on Rodriguez Street at 5:43 a.m. when they were killed.

Although the suspect was caught on a closed-circuit television camera, Cpl. Camilo Ross Cunanan of the Manila Police District homicide department said it was hard to identify him because he was wearing a motorcycle helmet.

“The residents around the area panicked when they heard gunshots and quickly ducked to avoid being hit. They did not see the suspect and found the two victims lying on the ground,” Cunanan added.

Lopez’s relatives told the police that she was a notorious gambler and that just before the shooting, she apparently won P20,000 in a card game at a wake she had just come from.

Mendez’s family, on the other hand, said they could not think of any possible motive for the killing.

They were also not aware if the victims had received any death threats beforehand.

Cunanan clarified, however, that the suspect did not take anything from the victims. —Meg Adonis