2 killed, 1 hurt in Cebu ambush

CEBU CITY—Two persons were killed while another was wounded in a midmorning ambush on the busy street of N. Bacalso Avenue, Barangay Lawaan 1, Talisay City, 12 km south of here.

Fritz Richard Cobong, 45, of Cebu City and Lorna Lapinid, 53, of Minglanilla town, died of gunshot wounds in the left armpit area.

Wounded was Maria Luisa Lapinid, 57, whose family owned a farm and store in Ormoc City, Leyte. She suffered gunshot wounds near the stomach.

She was recovering at a hospital in Cebu City after being transferred from  Talisay District Hospital.

PO2 Edwin Campomanes, investigator of the Talisay City Police Station, said the two Lapinids had hired Cobong, who used to be a taxi driver and a former police asset, to drive them around different churches since Wednesday, when they visited the Birhen sa Lindogon in Simala, Sibonga town.

When the ambush happened at 9:40 a.m. on Thursday, they  came from the San Roque Church in Barangay Lipata, Minglanilla, and was heading to a visit an image of Virgin Mary in Langub, Barangay Guadalupe in Cebu City.

As the driver slowed down because of heavy traffic, two motorcycle-riding gunmen appeared at the left side of the  Nissan Sentra and fired at the victims.

It was learned that Lorna sat beside the driver while Ma. Luisa was at the back seat.

Campomanes said the police recovered 14 empty shells from a 9 mm pistol.

Campomanes said the motive of the  killing remained a mystery but it could be that the target was one of the Lapinids or the two of them.

While the police recovered an ID dated 2012 showing that Cobong was a former police asset,  Campomanes said they learned he had no known enemies.