DESPITE calls from the Catholic Church for a stop to extrajudicial killings targeting “drug suspects,” at least five more were shot dead between Monday night and early Tuesday in different parts of Metro Manila. And like many previous attacks, the police linked them to the drug trade posthumously.
Five gunmen wearing black caps and each on a motorbike approached the house of Romeo Zapanta, 62, as he was having dinner with a visitor at his Barangka residence in Mandaluyong around 10 p.m. Monday, according to Senior Supt. Joaquin Alva, the city police chief.
Two of the assailants entered and shot Zapanta and his guest, 20-year-old Rogelio Gimoro, at close range. Zapanta, a taxi driver, was pronounced dead from gunshots in the head and chest, while Gimoro remained in critical condition at press time.
A report produced by Alva on Tuesday said both men were on the city’s “watch list” of drug pushers.
In Pasig, a man was shot dead right after stepping out of a white van that stopped along Visitacion Street, Barangay San Joaquin, around 3 p.m. on Monday, police said. The assailants shot him from inside the vehicle which was last seen speeding off toward Taguig City.
SPO1 Eduardo Pablo, the case investigator, said in a report that the victim remained unidentified on Tuesday but that the man had nine sachets of suspected “shabu” and rolled pieces of aluminum foil in his pockets when his body was retrieved. He stood around 5’2” tall and was wearing a light-green sweatshirt and black denim shorts.
In Caloocan, at least three more were killed by motorcycle-riding men.
A report reaching the Northern Police District said Restituto Razon Castro was shot dead on MacArthur Highway near the corner of Atimoya Street, Barangay 81, at 10:30 p.m. The police said two plastic sachets of suspected shabu were later found on his body.
At 12:20 a.m. on Tuesday, a report said Raffy de Guito Medallo, 22, was shot dead on Rizal Avenue Extension near 12th Avenue. Like in Castro’s case, there were two gunmen on a motorcycle and wearing bonnets—and the victim had two sachets of shabu when found by authorities.
At 1:30 a.m., Danilo Mariano was killed on Baltazar Street, Barangay 70, by a duo who had the same description. This time, the victim was allegedly carrying six sachets of the drug.