Mandaluyong cops swamped by tips, info on Peek shooter

A day after Talk ‘N Text (TNT) team owner Manny V. Pangilinan announced a P500,000 reward for the capture of the man who shot Ali Peek, the Mandaluyong police have found themselves inundated with text messages and unverified information about the gunman.

“We still need to screen the information. Not everything sent to us is credible,” Senior Superintendent Armando Bolalin, Mandaluyong police chief, told the Inquirer in a phone interview Wednesday.

For example, a texter told the police that he knew something about the shooting. He said he would share with them the information on one condition: They must first send him some load for his cell phone.

“The worst thing that can happen to us is to be duped by text scammers,” Bolalin said.

He added that he had ordered his men to follow up and verify the information from a tipster who appeared to be credible.

“We don’t want to publicize it yet to avoid jeopardizing our operation and also because we are still uncertain how true it is,” Bolalin said.

The barrage of text messages came a day after the police released a computer-generated image of the gunman based on the description given by witnesses.

The shooter was said to between 32 and 36 years old, 5’5” to 5’6” in height, with dark complexion and of medium build.

Investigators remain clueless about the motive behind the attack on Peek although robbery has not been ruled out.

The 36-year-old Filipino-American who was born in Hawaii plays center for TNT in the Philippine Basketball Association.

He was shot in the nape at the parking lot of RFM Gym at the corner of Sheridan and Pioneer Streets in Mandaluyong City around 7:15 p.m. on Monday.

Peek told probers at the hospital that before he was shot, someone whom he thought was just one of his fans tried to grab his bag.

Several seconds later, the man shot him.

The 6-foot-4 cager is in stable condition at The Medical City although he may need to undergo surgery. Fortunately, the bullet did not hit any major artery or organ although it remains lodged at the base of his skull.