By Glazyl Y. Masculino
BACOLOD City – A man who celebrated his birthday last Saturday was gunned down by five unidentified armed men inside a resort in Barangay Tibsok, San Enrique, Negros Occidental the following day.
Major Renante Salgado, town police chief, identified the victim as Ryan Villanueva, 33, of La Carlota City.
Salgado said the victim was eating snacks with his girlfriend inside their room when the perpetrators barged in by kicking the door around 2:30AM.
Some of the perpetrators escorted the woman out of the room, while the gunman shot the victim several times. They fled leaving the woman unharmed, Salgado said.
“Gin paduko siya (woman) pag gwa samtang gina uyatan, target lang gid nila ang biktima,” the police chief added.
Salgado said the victim succumbed to multiple gunshot wounds in the head, hands, and back.
Police recovered from the scene 28 fired cartridge cases of .45 caliber ammunitions.
Also seized inside the room were suspected marijuana seeds, improvised tooter, and broken tooters, Salgado said.
Salgado said the victim and his girlfriend, along with three other friends, went outing to celebrate his birthday on February 13.
The couple’s companions who were at the adjacent room heard the gunshots but failed to recognize the perpetrators, he added.
Salgado said the resort had a security guard, but he might have fallen asleep when the perpetrators entered the vicinity.
Salgado said they are still investigating the motive of the incident.
He said they received information that the victim had drug links, but the report is subject for validation.
Meanwhile, Lieutenant Colonel Jonel Guadalupe, chief of La Carlota City Police Station, confirmed that Villanueva was on their drugs watchlist.
Guadalupe said the victim was under monitoring but had no criminal record at the police station.
Meanwhile, Rodney Magbanua, 59, of Barangay Inapoy, Kabankalan City was found dead last Friday in the said village with multiple gunshot wounds, police said.
Police recovered from the scene two fired cartridges of .9mm caliber ammunition.
Also murdered in Barangay Maricalum, Sipalay City that day was Bonnen Garcia, 30, of the said village.
Investigation showed that the victim was walking on his way to Maricalum proper, when he was shot by an unidentified man on a motorcycle.
The victim suffered three gunshot wounds and was taken to Sipalay infirmary where he was declared dead on arrival.
Authorities recovered from the crime scene two empty shells of .9mm caliber ammunitions.
