By Glazyl Y. Masculino
BACOLOD City – The Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) is planning to adjust the deployment of personnel to Barangay 2 following the spate of shootings in the area.
The latest victim was 23-year-old Felix Olvidado.
This is the second shooting incident reported this week, bringing the total to three cases in the village alone since Aug 23.
Captain Leo Estopa, head of Police Station 2, said Olvidado was on his way home when he was allegedly tailed by two unidentified persons on a motorcycle and shot him from behind.
The victim suffered two gunshot wounds and was rushed to Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital here, where he later expired.
Prior to the incident, Estopa said the victim was summoned to the barangay hall to meet a village watchman, whom he tagged in a shooting on Aug 30.
Estopa said the village watchman also filed a complaint against the victim for serious physical injuries after he was allegedly mobbed by the victim’s family in March this year.
The victim had three theft cases in 2017 and 2018.
“We are still checking his background,” he added.
He said they are eyeing grudge as possible motive behind the killing, which might have to do something with his previous cases.
He said they already have a lead and will focus their investigation on the said angle.
The station commander said the victim was also previously arrested for illegal drugs last year and was released through plea bargaining.
Meanwhile, Lieutenant Colonel Ariel Pico, BCPO’s public information officer, said the two previous murder cases in the village were drug-related and are still being investigated.
Pico said he would suggest putting up a substation in the village to avoid this kind of incident, but they also need to consider the insufficiency of personnel.
He said most of the policemen are deployed in the streets and border areas as part of the security measure amid the pandemic.
“Gustuhon ta man tani pero kulang gid ta sa personnel,” he said.
He said the police already have a lead on the identities of the perpetrators, as he assured the village residents that it’s not a cause for alarm.
