3 suspects eyed in cadet’s shooting

The police have narrowed down to three the possible suspects in Saturday’s shooting of a graduating Philippine Military Academy (PMA) cadet during a robbery inside a passenger jeepney in Quezon City.

Superintendent Virgilio Fabian, Fairview police station commander, said Monday that the man who shot Alfonso Aviles could be anyone of the three suspects who were known for staging holdups in public utility vehicles.

He did not identify the suspects although he said that one of them was being sought by authorities in Caloocan City while the other two usually operate in Quezon City.

“We expect that they will lie low after Saturday’s heist but we are on to them,” Fabian said.

Aviles, 23, was reported to be in critical condition after he was shot in the neck when he tried to grab the gun of a robber inside a passenger jeepney around noon on Saturday on Mindanao Avenue. The robber took his PMA bull ring before he escaped.

The victim underwent surgery for his wound at the AFP Medical Center in Quezon City several hours later.

Aviles was in Manila because he had been assigned to serve as a proctor in Sunday’s PMA entrance examination at a testing center in the metropolis.