Ex-village officer shot dead in Negros Occidental

BACOLOD CITY, Negros Occidental, Philippines — A former barangay (village) official was shot dead behind the Himamaylan City Hall, about 82.9 kilometers south of this city, at about 12:30 p.m. Thursday, Himamaylan Mayor Agustin Ernesto Bascon said.

Edgar Coleta, a former kagawad or councilor of Barangay Carabalan, Himamaylan, and a city casual employee in charge of barangay concerns, was shot four times in the chest, at close range, by a lone gunman after the victim had his lunch within the City Hall compound, Bascon said.

A military intelligence man was in the vicinity and witnessed the shooting, prompting a hot pursuit operation that was still ongoing as of Thursday afternoon, Bascon said.