Company driver shot dead in Pasig; road rage eyed

MANILA, Philippines — A motorist was shot dead by a still unidentified assailant reportedly after they had a traffic altercation in Pasig City on Thursday.

A report reaching the Eastern Police District said Richard Tuazon, a company driver and courier of the World Class Laminated Inc. based in Barangay Maybunga in Pasig, was attacked around 11:50 a.m. on Rosario Bridge, Ortigas Avenue in Barangay Rosario.

Senior Insp. Roberto Garcia, investigation chief of the Pasig police, said Tuazon had just left the office and was on his way to Quezon City in a Mitsubishi L300 van, when a man suddenly approached the vehicle and shot him in the head through the window.

“The suspect reportedly got off the front passenger seat of a Toyota Innova (APA-9824) that was plying right beside the victim’s vehicle minutes earlier,” Garcia said.

The gunman then returned to the Innova, which “crossed to the other side of the street and went eastbound,” the police official said.

Tuazon was brought to the Rizal Medical Center, where he was declared dead on arrival.

While initial reports pointed to road rage, Garcia maintained that all angles were still being considered. “We are still trying to secure a copy of the footage of the (closed circuit television camera) in the area so to shed light on the incident.”

Five 9-mm bullet casings were recovered at the crime scene — two of them inside the victims’ vehicle.  SFM