Accused rapist gunned down in Manila

MANILA, Philippines—A 30-year-old former Quezon provincial jail inmate was shot to death Saturday morning by a suspected hired gun in Manila, police said.

Norlito Enriquez, a construction worker, of Iridium Street in Sta. Ana, was declared dead on arrival at the Gat Andres Bonifacio Memorial Hospital from multiple bullet wounds in the body.

Enriquez had gone to Manila from Quezon province following the provisional dismissal two months ago of a rape case filed against him in the Lucena City Regional Trial Court’s Branch 54.

Police Officer 1 Richie Caligagan  of the Manila Police District homicide section  said that the killing happened at around 6:30 a.m. Saturday along Mabuhay Street in Sta. Ana.

Caligagan said that before the shooting, Enriquez and his neighbor Shaidy Caga, 32, were walking on the street on their way to work when a man passed them by.

Caga told the Inquirer that he was surprised when the man stopped a few feet in front of them and then turned around to face them.

“He just pulled out a gun and started shooting,” Caga said.

As the victim keeled over, bloodied, the gunman fled. Caga tried to save his neighbor by bringing him to the nearest hospital but the effort proved futile.

Caligagan said he recovered six .45-caliber bullet shells  at the crime scene and, based on Caga’s statement, said that the shooter had a silencer on his gun.

He theorized that the killer could have been hired to kill Enriquez.

The case investigator told the Inquirer that before the victim went to Manila after the dismissal of his case, he had been detained at the Quezon provincial jail for two years.

“His rape case was provisionally dismissed by the court judge for the failure of the complainant in the case to appear at the trial,” he said, referring to a September 7 order issued by Lucena City Regional Trial Court Judge Daniel Villanueva.