2 dead, 3 hurt as gunman opens fire in Rizal

SAN PEDRO CITY — Two people, one them an 11-year-old female, died while three others were injured after a gunman opened fire at a group of residents in Baras town in Rizal province.

In a phone interview Sunday, Baras police chief Major Carlos Hogat said they have yet to identify a suspect in the shooting incident that happened around 10 p.m. Saturday inside a National Housing Authorities relocation site in Barangay (village) Pinugay.

But Hogat believed the gunman acted alone, as police traced the possible position of the shooter—an unoccupied housing unit about 50 meters away from the victims.

He said it was from where the witnesses saw “sparks” possibly from the gun being fired.

The victims were a group of residents, the youngest of them a nine-year-old, gathered outside one of the housing units to get free wifi signal from their neighbor.

“They were playing (games) on their cellphones when they were suddenly shot at,” Hogat said.

Police identified the fatalities as Jeszabel Tolibas, 11, and Leimuel Tolibas, 20, who were both dead on arrival at the Antipolo City Hospital. It was not immediately clear how the two were related.

Meanwhile, Ricky Capistrano (age unknown); Erica Tolibas, 16; and John Joven Tolibas, 9, were injured.

Hogat also said they have yet to establish a possible motive in the attack. /je