Photo by Mike Frialde/Inquirer.net
A supervisor of a popular ramen house in Makati City was killed on Thursday night, the second time that unidentified assailant attacked the recently opened shop.
Marke de Jesus, 37, died on the spot after he was shot thrice in the body by a lone gunman while manning Street Ramen food place on Filmore Street, Barangay Palanan, at 8 p.m.
Three spent shells from a 9-mm pistol were found at the crime scene.
Based on the footage from the closed-circuit television camera of the store, the gunman suddenly fired shots at De Jesus when he got out of the kitchen to clean the tables for the customers.
This is the second attack on the food place in just five weeks. On March 29, three men wielding pistols robbed the customers of the ramen house and passers-by around midnight, carting away eight cell phones and P8,000 in cash.
Senior Supt. Gerardo Umayao, chief of Makati police, however, said that De Jesus’ killing was not robbery related.
“The suspect’s intention was really to kill. He didn’t even try to get the valuables of the many customers at that peak time,” Umayao said.
After shooting De Jesus, the gunman casually walked toward Gil Puyat Avenue. The police are eyeing “personal grudge” as the motive behind the killing, citing De Jesus’ work as an employee of Pasay City Councilor Ding Santos.
Umayao said that before shooting down De Jesus, the gunman even went to the victim’s house in Barangay 11, Pasay, to ask for his whereabouts.—Dexter Cabalza with reports from Yvinn Borondia, Starlene Portillo and Jonnabeth Ortega