2 shot dead in separate Novaliches attacks

Two men were killed just 10 minutes apart by unidentified gunmen in Novaliches, Quezon City, on Wednesday afternoon.

Roberto Tolentino Jr., 27, and Aaron Alagon, 30, were both outside their homes in barangays Sta. Monica and Gulod, respectively, when they were shot, according to the Quezon City Police District.

Chief Supt. Guillermo Eleazar, the QCPD director, noted that both shootings involved assailants who fled on foot—not on a motorbike, as in the case of so-called “riding in tandem” attacks.

Eleazar also ruled out the possibility that the killings were perpetrated by the same suspects.

Around 2:40 p.m. Tolentino was standing outside his home on Geronimo Street, Santa Monica, when shot in the head at close range. Witnesses told authorities that they saw the gunman casually walking away from the scene.

Ten minutes later, along Ponciana Street in Gulod, Alagon’s father heard a series of gunshots and found his son lying bloodied on the pavement outside their house.

Tolentino and Alagon were declared dead on arrival at Novaliches District Hospital.

An investigation showed that Alagon was earlier detained at Quezon City Jail in January for a robbery charge. On Sept. 12, however, his case was dismissed after the complainant failed to appear in court.

With the motive for the killings still unclear, the police will also check if both victims had any involvement in the drug trade, Eleazar said.