Suspect in killing of German falls

CEBU CITY, Philippines—Police have arrested one of at least four men involved in the killing of a German engineer and wounding of a Frenchman and an Indian at a fast-food outlet in Barangay Tabunok, Talisay City, about 12 km south of here.

Allan Veloz, 35, was arrested inside his house in Barangay San Isidro, Talisay City, around 6:20 p.m. on Friday.

The arrest came 14 hours after the gun attack that killed Henry Haffner, a 31-year-old German tourist; and wounded French national Julian Millard, 31, and Indian national Cheten Saparaiya, 31.

Veloz was identified by a witness as one of the assailants.

Superintendent Carmelo Dayon, Talisay City police chief, said Veloz was involved in several robberies in south Cebu.

Last month, Veloz was involved in a gunfight with Talisay policemen who were serving an arrest warrant for another person, he added.

Veloz was taken to and detained at the police station and refused to talk to reporters.

During interrogation, however, police said Veloz denied involvement in Friday’s gun attacks.

Veloz, who claimed to be a television and electronics technician, told police that he was sleeping at home at the time of the attack.

Recovered from Veloz’ house was a gun, which would be subjected to ballistics test to find out if it matched the slugs taken from the crime scene.

Veloz would also undergo paraffin test to determine if he recently fired a gun.

Around 4:20 a.m. on Friday, two unidentified men arrived at McDonald’s in Barangay Tabunok and taunted Millard and Saparaiya who were eating with a Filipino woman companion inside the fast-food joint.

One of the men said “dili pautang… pautanga mi, Turko! (He won’t lend us money… Loan us some money, Turk.)”

They were referring to the stereotype that Indians were money lenders.

Saparaiya, who understood what the derogatory words meant, confronted the two. A heated argument then ensued between the two groups.

When the restaurant’s security guard came over to pacify them, the two local men left.

Haffner, a tourist from Germany who temporarily settled in Barangay Tisa, Cebu City, and his girlfriend were sitting at the next table.

They were about to leave the restaurant when the two men returned with two companions.

According to police, three of the four men were armed that time.

Saparaiya and Millard were also ready to leave the restaurant when they saw the armed men.

The two foreigners hurriedly ran back inside as the assailants shot them.

The assailants fired several shots. The two were hit but managed to hide at the establishment’s toilet.

Haffner, who was mistaken to be a companion of Saparaiya and Millard, ran upstairs but one of the gunmen followed and shot him several times.

The gunmen later escaped on board three motorcycles.

Haffner, a member of a group which helped calamity victims in Bohol and northern Cebu in 2013, was brought to the Chong Hua Hospital in Cebu City but he later died of multiple gunshot wounds in the body.

Millard was wounded in the left arm and left foot, while Saparaiya was hit in the nape.