2 men shot dead in Quezon City

Two men were shot and killed in separate incidents over an hour apart on Saturday night in Quezon City.

Slain were Cecilio de la Cruz Jr., 43, a volunteer guard at Parkway Village in Barangay (village) Apolonio Samson, and construction worker Herbert Esquilona, 32, a resident of Nawasa Road, Barangay Pasong Tamo. Both died while undergoing treatment for a gunshot wound in the abdomen.

According to reports from the Quezon City Police District’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit, the first incident happened around 7 p.m. in front of the Parkway Village guard outpost at the corner of Caroline and Antoinette Streets. Case investigator PO3 Marlon de la Vega said that De la Cruz was chatting with his fellow volunteer guard Rodolfo Santos and Dennis Ruiz when Santos suddenly shot the victim before fleeing.

The victim was taken by Ruiz to the Quezon City General Hospital where he died an hour later.

Around 8:30 p.m., the second victim, Esquilona, was shot as he was hanging out at a basketball court on Panopio Street in Barangay Pasong Tamo. Neighbors immediately took him to the hospital where he died as he was being treated.—Jeannette I. Andrade