LAOAG CITY -- Two unidentified persons on a motorcycle shot dead a suspected drug personality and wounded his companion on Thursday afternoon, police said.
Vigan police chief, Supt. Jugith del Prado, identified the fatality as Bon Bryan Cariño Viray, 24, a resident of Bantay town, and the injured as Geraldine Molina Jimenez, 20, resident of Vigan City, both in Ilocos Sur province.
Investigators said the victims were on board a motorcycle, traversing Quirino Blvd. in Barangay IX in Vigan City when the suspects shot them several times using a .45-caliber pistol and immediately fled.
Rescuers rushed the victims to the Gabriela Silang General Hospital, Vigan City for treatment, but Viray was declared dead on arrival by the attending physician.
Recovered from the crime scene were one deformed slug, one bullet jacket and six fired cartridge cases for a caliber .45 pistol.
While follow-up investigation is ongoing, Senior Supt. Clint Bayacsan, director of the Ilocos Sur Police Provincial Office, tagged Viray as a listed drug personality in Bantay, with pending cases of car theft and robbery.
Following the incident, adjacent municipalities were alerted and a dragnet operation was conducted to apprehend the suspects.
Senior Supt. Herminio Tadeo Jr., officer-in-charge of Police Regional Office 1 (Ilocos), ordered a thorough investigation of the shooting and intensified police operations within the region to resolve the case.
He likewise ordered the Vigan City police to extract all CCTV footage near the crime scene and maximize resources to secure other pieces of evidence that could lead to the identity of the suspects. (PNA)
