Rice trader killed, 3 hurt in Cavite shooting

MANILA, Philippines - A rice trader was killed while three others were hurt in a shooting incident in Dasmariñas, Cavite province on Tuesday night, the local police said on Wednesday. Senior Inspector Apolinar Reyes, Dasmariñas deputy chief of police, identified the lone fatality as Mario Sambayan, a 42-year-old rice trader residing in Dexter Ville in Barangay San Nicolas II, Dasmariñas. Police investigation showed that Reyes and his wife were about to walk back home from their rice store in the Kadiwa Public Market in Barangay Burol when the two suspects riding a motorcycle in tandem attacked and shot Sambayan twice in the head. A traffic enforcer, identified as Rosendo Esorda, 41, who was at the area at the time of the incident tried helping the victim and was also shot by the suspects on his hip. Then, in an attempt to jumpstart a commotion and rattle witnesses, the two suspects shot at two other market vendors identified as 16-year-old Remias Solo and Iris Songa, 28 who were also in the area at the time of the shooting. "They intentionally shot the people to create panic for those daring to come near them," Reyes told GMANews.TV in a phone interview. The police official added that all four victims were rushed to the nearby University Medical Center, also in Dasmariñas town, where Sambayan was declared dead. Investigators are looking into the angle of vengeance as the motive for the crime. Reyes said the slain trader was out on bail for a pending robbery case last year. A follow-up operation is underway to capture the suspects, whose identities the police are still ascertaining. "Gabi kasi kaya wala pang lumilitaw na makakapag-describe so far na mga tao. Kahit yung may mga tama, walang mabigay na description (It was night time and no one has come out to describe the suspects. Even the victims could not describe them)," Reyes said. - Mark Merueñas, GMANews.TV