ILOILO CITY – A disgruntled father fighting for the custody of his five-year-old daughter killed his estranged wife and his daughter before killing himself on Valentine’s Day in Barangay Aguinaldo in La Paz District.
Eduardo Cuales, 47, first shot his daughter, Jecca, and later his wife, Jessica, before shooting himself with a homemade shotgun locally known as “pugakhang.”
Jecca was hit on the left shoulder while Jessica, 45, sustained wounds on the left side of her abdomen and right shoulder.
After seeing his daughter and wife dead, Eduardo then placed the shotgun’s nozzle on his mouth. The pellets exited from his forehead.
Jecca and Jessica were already dead when brought to the Iloilo Mission Hospital.
Their neighbor, Leonida Pulmano, said Jessica and Jecca and Jessica’s 15-year-old niece were heading for the La Paz church on board a pedicab, a small pedal-operated vehicle, when Eduardo blocked their way about 11 a.m. on Sunday.
“We heard the suspect shouting My child! My child! But before that, we already heard a gunshot,” Pulmano said in Hiligaynon.
Police investigation showed that Eduardo fired a shot at Jessica but instead hit Jecca. He fired another shot, this time hitting Jessica in the abdomen and right shoulder.
Neighbors saw Eduardo run a few meters away from where his wife’s and daughter’s bodies lay and placed his shotgun’s nozzle on his mouth.
Police said Eduardo had been wanting to take custody of Jecca after he separated with Jessica eight months ago.
Since their separation, Jessica had prevented Eduardo from seeing their daughter. SFM