By Glazyl Y. Masculino
BACOLOD City – Police in Negros Oriental are probing the case of a retired police officer who was gunned down by five unidentified armed men at Barangay Ajong, Sibulan town Saturday.
Police Captain Enrique Asonio, town police chief, said they are eyeing the alleged involvement of Patrolman Rodrigo Soldivillo, 46, in a cock derby as one of the possible angles in his killing.
“May kaaway man daw siya sa sabungan, yun ang isa sa aming tinututukan,” he said.
Soldivillo was last assigned at San Jose Municipal Police Station before his retirement.
He was sitting on a bench in front of a sari-sari store with two other companions when the assailants onboard three separate motorcycles arrived.
One of the gunmen approached and fired a .45-caliber pistol at the retired cop and fled, leaving the victim’s two companions unharmed.
The victim was rushed to a hospital, where he was declared dead.
Police recovered from the scene eight slugs of .45-caliber ammunition with three deformed.
In a media interview, Asonio said they cannot yet establish the motive because the victim had no threats before the killing.
“Sa ngayon, hindi pa talaga namin matumbok kung ano ang motibo sa nangyari. Patuloy pa ang aming imbestigasyon,“ he added.
Earlier this week, an active police officer was also killed by unidentified motorcycle-riding assailants in San Jose town.
Asonio said they have no lead yet on the identities of the perpetrators but they are probing the possible link of the two incidents.
