Shootings stop but more cops sent to Cavite city

Police have intensified security in villages in Dasmariñas City, among these the busy Sampaloc 1 or Pala-pala, following incidents of random shooting last month. —CLIFFORD NUÑEZ

More policemen were assigned to Dasmariñas City in Cavite province to augment lawmen pursuing gunmen responsible for the random shootings that left at least three people dead and 13 wounded last month.

Chief Supt. Ma. O Aplasca, regional police chief in Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon), on Thursday ordered the deployment of 100 policemen from the regional headquarters and Batangas province to Dasmariñas.

The Cavite provincial police also reassigned another 100 policemen from different stations to Dasmariñas and sought the presence of the military.

Dasmariñas, with a population of more than 500,000, has 200 policemen.

The series of random killings was recorded between Aug. 15 and 24 in the adjacent cities of Dasmariñas and Imus. Local authorities believed the attacks were random and were carried out by the same people based on the manner and the type of bullet shells recovered.

Police records showed the gunmen were on a motorcycle when they shot their victims. The victims, on those different occasions, were having drinking sprees.

Dasmariñas City Mayor Elpidio Barzaga, who earlier offered a P500,000 reward for the arrest of the suspects, said the shootings had stopped.

Persons of interest

“No more (shootings) … no crimes reported at night,” he said in a text message on Thursday.

However, he said the police had yet to arrest and identify the gunmen.

Senior Supt. Arthur Bisnar, Cavite provincial police chief, said four persons of interest were held by the police but they were looking for two more persons possibly involved in the shootings.

He said the four persons in their custody were previously arrested for a different offense but were suspected of being involved in the recent shootings.

Bisnar said they saw the need to beef up the police force in Dasmariñas City because the gunmen were “still out in the open.”

“We also want to allay fear and panic among residents,” Bisnar said in a telephone interview.

The city government last week imposed a law prohibiting the use of helmets by motorcycle riders, except when driving on major thoroughfares, to help authorities identify crime suspects.

Bisnar said they were considering this measure to be implemented province-wide.