Gunmen kill cop, attendant in Bohol cockpit arena shooting

New Dauis Cockpit Areana in Purok 2 in Barangay Totolan in Dauis town, Bohol, is the site of the bloody shooting of a policeman and a female arena gatekeeper. Photo by Leo Udtohan / Inquirer Visayas

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol—A policeman and a female employee of a cockpit arena were killed by armed men inside the establishment in Dauis town, Bohol on Thursday afternoon.

The victims were identified as PO2 Zandro Zamora, 34, who had been on absent without official leave (Awol); and Paterna Acuña, gatekeeper of New Dauis Cockpit Areana in Purok 2 in Barangay Totolan in Dauis town.

The police had yet to determine the motive behind the shooting of Zamora and who was the real target of the assailants.

But the Scene of Crime Operatives (SOCO) recovered a small sachet of suspected shabu inside the victim’s pocket, aside from P348 in cash and a cellphone.

Police said Zamora was at the gate of the arena to watch a derby past 2 p.m. when at least four men in separate motorcycles stopped in front of him and opened fire.

Zamora hurriedly went inside the cockpit area but he was chased by two unidentified men wearing bonnets.

Despite the commotion, Acuña tried to stop the armed men at the gate to ask for an entrance fee but she was instead shot by the gunmen.

The perpetrators cornered Zamora and shot him repeatedly, killing him on the spot.

The gunmen then boarded their motorbike and fled toward the direction of Tagbilaran City area.

Acuña was brought to Ramiro Hospital in Tagbilaran City but was declared dead on arrival.

Taloto Barangay Captain Eugene Zamora, the victim’s father, told reporters that his son had received death threats prior to the killing.

He, however, refused to elaborate.

Supt. Patricio Degay, chief of Tagbilaran City Police Station, said Zamora was assigned at the Tagbilaran police station before he was transferred to other stations.

Police records showed he was last assigned at Camp Crame before he went Awol. /jpv