A 22-year-old man was injured seriously in Mangaldan, Pangasinan after a stray bullet from an attempted shooting hit him in the chest.

Police said the victim was on his way home to Barangay Navaluán with a friend when gunfire erupted along an interior road in Barangay Banaoaang.

“‘Yung mga tao nagtakbuhan, parang stampede. Ang nangyari, bigla ‘yung pagbaril kasi,” Ernie Soquila, a resident who witnessed the commotion, said.

Investigators found that two suspects on a motorcycle came from another barangay and intended to shoot a woman who they claimed had cheated them in a gambling game. The suspects missed their target. The bullet instead hit a piece of metal, ricocheted, and struck the unsuspecting victim.

A dragnet operation led to the arrest of the two men shortly after the incident. Police said the weapon used, a .38-caliber firearm, has not been recovered.

“Hindi po namin na-recover ‘yung weapon na ginamit na isang .38 caliber. At ito po ay inamin naman ng suspek na tinapon niya sa isang creek,” PLtCol. Perlito Tuayon, chief of the Mangaldan Police Station, said.

The victim is set to undergo surgery to remove the slug lodged in his chest. His father, Alfredo Cortez, said the suspects have promised to shoulder the medical costs.

“Sabi nila tutulong daw po sa gastusin, sasagutin nila at saka ‘yung pagpapa-opera, sa kanila din,” he said.

The suspects declined give a statement. Police are preparing appropriate charges as of press time.