TACLOBAN CITY – A barangay chairman was gunned down while his wife was wounded by two men onboard a motorcycle in Kananga, Leyte, on Wednesday, May 10.
Police identified the fatality as Raul Cosinillo, 56, chairman of Barangay Mataloto, the farthest upland village of Leyte, Leyte.
Initial investigation revealed that Raul, his wife, Mercedes, 56, and daughter Phantea, 21, were onboard a multicab on their way home from Ormoc City from the fatality’s dialysis session when the gunmen wearing black jackets and helmets caught up with their vehicle and fired several shots at them in Sitio Laray, Barangay Naghalin.
Their vehicle crashed to the roadside and Raul was pinned under the steering wheel and succumbed to bullet wounds in different parts of the body.
His wife who was sitting on the passenger side also sustained bullet wounds and was taken to Clinica Gatchalian in Ormoc City. She is now in stable condition.
Phanthea, who was seated at the back, was unharmed.
Authorities have launched an investigation to determine the motive of the killing while hot pursuit operations against the suspects are ongoing in neighboring municipalities.