URDANETA CITY, Aug. 1 (PNA)–One person was killed and another wounded when criminals riding in tandem on a motorcycle struck in broad daylight along the busy Mac Arthur Highway in Barangay Nancayasan here at about 10:20 a.m. of July 30 in what the police suspected as a possible drug-related case.
The police identified the fatality as Erwin Milla Santos, alias ” Bong”, 34, of Barangay Dilan-Paurido here, who was pronounced dead on arrival at the Urdaneta City District Hospital while the other victim, Manolito Saguiped Castisimo Jr., 28, was also rushed.
Initial investigation conducted by the Urdaneta police revealed that the victims were on board a red-colored motorized tricycle Euro without plate number and driven by Santos heading towards the north direction.
While in front of the Lyceum Northwestern University, they were tailed by two still unidentified persons riding in tandem on a motorcycle and were shot several times when the suspects were closing on them, causing their motorized tricycle to bump an electric post.
The suspects immediately fled towards the south direction heading to the municipality of Villasis.
Although wounded in the abdomen, Castisimo managed to seek help from people in a nearby karaoke bar who immediately rushed them to the hospital.
Lawmen who rushed to the crime scene recovered three fire catridge cases for Cal. 45 pistol , four heat-sealed sachets of shabu, two open transparent plastic sachets with shabu residue and one glass tube totter.
The police said possible motive of the incident could be related to illegal drugs based on some of the recovered evidence. (PNA)