1 dead, 2 wounded in Batangas inn heist

BATANGAS CITY, Philippines–A security officer of a motel in Lipa City died while two more employees were wounded when an unidentified gunman broke into the inn and sped off with P10,000 taken from the cashier’s office at predawn Tuesday.

Superintendent Christopher Birung, Lipa City police chief, identified the slain security officer as Jason Sarde who was dead on arrival in hospital due to a gunshot wound to the head.

Birung identified the two other wounded as Hernel Roxas, 23, a room boy, and Bryan Roxas, 23, a cashier. The two, along with Sarde, were working at the Garanda Inn on B. Morada Street.

Investigation showed that police learned about the attack from a tricycle driver who phoned in police that he heard gunshots from the inn at around 2 a.m.

“When police arrived at the crime scene they found the victims sprawled at the cashier’s office,” said Birung.

He said Roxas sustained a gunshot wound to the head while Roxas had a gunshot wound to the neck. The two were still in critical condition and undergoing treatment at two different hospitals in Lipa City.

Police recovered three empty shells and two deformed slugs for a 9 mm cal. pistol.