Another village chief in Luzon gunned down

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Cabanatuan City – Two unidentified men shot and killed a village chief in Nueva Ecija’s northern town of Lupao Tuesday morning (Jan. 24), police said.

Investigators identified the victim as Reginald Espiritu, 46, of Lupao’s Barangay San Isidro.

According to an initial investigation, the victim was in front of his store when two motorcycle-riding men arrived and repeatedly shot him with a .45-caliber pistol.

The victim was taken to the Heart of Jesus Hospital in San Jose City, also in Nueva Ecija, but was declared dead on arrival, the police said.

At the crime scene, forensic investigators discovered two unfired bullets and two spent shells from a.45-caliber pistol.

A pursuit operation was underway to capture the assailants while investigators were still trying to determine the motive behind the killing.

Espiritu was the second village chief to be gunned down in Luzon within 24 hours.

On Monday evening, Richard Biraquit, 57, village chief of Sto. Domingo in Piat town, Cagayan province was also shot and killed by unidentified motorcycle-riding gunmen.

Biraquit and his wife were heading home around 6 p.m. when they were ambushed. The wife survived the shooting, the police said. INQ

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