CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY -- The Cagayan de Oro City Police Office (COCPO) on Friday, April 1, vowed to serve justice to the death of an Israeli national who was shot by the unidentified culprits at 11th-20th Street, Barangay Nazareth in this city on March 31.
In a statement, COCPO spokesperson Maj. Ivan Viñas said Col. Aaron Mandia, police city director, has directed the Nazareth Police Station 9 to intensify the investigation for the identification of the suspects.
"We will do our best to solve and serve justice to the victim by any means in order that the culprit/s will face consequences and pay the price of their action,” Viñas said.
The police authorities identified the victim as Reuven Baranovitch, an Iraeli National, legal age and temporarily renting an apartment unit of the said place.
Mandia also appealed to the public to provide any information relating to the incident for the speedy resolution of the case.
“The City Director is appealing to the general public to give information relative to the incident that efforts may in one way or the other be a key to give a swift solution to the incident,” Viñas said.
In a phone interview Friday, Staff Sergeant Roger Bandoles, police investigator from Nazareth police station, said they are still conducting further investigation to identify the suspect, as well as the motive of the shooting.
Bandoles said the victim has a lending business and they are also eyeing the said business as one of the possible angles to determine the motive.
“Based on our initial investigation, the victim has a lending money business. That is according to some people who know the victim. However, we are still consolidating all of the information relating to the incident,” Bandoles said.
Initial investigation revealed that the victim went outside his rented apartment unit when an unidentified gunman, described to be wearing a maong pants and a seven colors t-shirt, shot the victim five times and fled on board with a motorcycle driven by another suspect wearing short pants and a black t-shirt.
The authorities have recovered six fired cartridge cases of an alleged .45 calibre pistol from the crime scene.
Mandia condemned the killing of the Israeli national residing in this city.
The police personnel of Nazareth police station are still conducting hot pursuit operations against the fleeing suspects. (Franck Dick A. Rosete)