Zamboanga City police says gossip drove man to kill neighbor, self

A police investigation has found that plain community gossip fueled a killing last Jan. 3 at the village of Tumitus here, some 82 km from downtown.

It was the first gun attack case in the city in 2021.

Maj. Edwin Duco, Zamboanga Peninsula police spokesperson, said investigation showed that Crisanto Espaltero Delos Reyes, 46, stormed the house of a neighbor, Pablo Alberto around 8 a.m. last Sunday.

Finding Alberto’s brother, Gabriel, there, Delos Reyes opened fire with a .45 caliber pistol, killing Gabriel instantly.

Duco said no words or warnings were uttered during the confrontation. Delos Reyes simply barged into the house and shot Gabriel, who suffered multiple gunshot wounds.

Delos Reyes then walked home and shot himself.

Duco said the motive for the killing was personal grudge. Delos Reyes, according to Duco, “got mad about some gossip circulating in the neighborhood.” What the gossip was about was not known.

But Duco said Delos Reyes suspected Alberto of being the source of the gossip.

TSB