COTABATO CITY (PNA) – Four persons were killed while two others were wounded in a series of shootings here on Monday night, Nov. 21, police said Tuesday, Nov. 22.
Lt. Col. Carmelo Mungkas, city police spokesperson, identified the fatalities as Norhamin Usman Guiadel, 23; a certain Rasiden Angas, and the two shooting suspects as Naif Kasim, 22, and Lamudin Mohammad, 26.
Mungkas said Guiadel was shot by two motorcycle-riding assailants on Dorotheo St. at 6 p.m. “Guiadel, a resident of Bulalo, Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao, died on the spot,” he said in a media interview on Tuesday.
Thirty minutes later at 6:30 p.m., Angas was shot dead by unidentified gunmen inside a fast food outlet on Sinsuat Ave., Barangay Rosary Heights 10. “His (Angas) lady companion was injured,” Mungkas said.
Meanwhile, a 40-year-old staff of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA), Rahib Payapat of Barangay Bagua 2 here, was shot by unidentified assailants while driving a government pick-up vehicle on Sinsuat Ave. at 7 p.m.
Upon receiving information on these incidents, Mungkas said police were sent to go after the perpetrators.
“In one instance, police were pursuing two men on a motorbike believed to be behind the shooting at a (food) outlet when the suspects opened fire on responding police officers,” he said. “After they shot at our law enforcers, police were forced to return fire, killing them in the process,” Mungkas added.
He said Payapat is now undergoing treatment.
The women hurt in the shooting remain in the hospital.
Mayor Bruce Matabalao here condemned the shootings and directed the police to arrest the perpetrators.
He appealed to the residents “not to put political color in the series of shootings” and help instead the police prevent crimes in whatever way possible.