CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – Three persons of interest have already been established in connection with the killing of an official candidate of the Mister Cagayan de Oro pageant, the local police said on Thursday, May 16.
Police Lt. Col. Evan Vinas, spokesperson of the Cagayan de Oro City Police Office (COCPO), said the details provided by the witnesses matched the description of the persons of interest in the case.
"Dayon ang mga CCTV (closed-circuit television) footages ato paman to gipang-enhance aron makatabang sa pagpangita og solusyon sa panghitabo (Then those CCTV footages we enhanced them as part of finding a solution to the incident)," Vinas told the Manila Bulletin in an interview on Thursday.
FORNILLO (FB)
The 23-year-old victim, identified as Adriane Rovic Fornillo, was shot at close range at the back of his head by an unidentified suspect on 13th St., Barangay Nazareth, in the evening of May 9.
The rescue team tried to rush Fornillo to the Northern Mindanao Medical Center (NMMC), but he was pronounced dead by the attending physician at around 12:30 a.m. on May 10 because of a severe brain injury due to a bullet wound.
INVESTIGATORS from the Philippine National Police and Scene-of-the-Crime Operatives conduct an investigation after a 23-year-old Mr. Cagayan de Oro pageant candidate was shot by an unidentified suspect on 13th St., Barangay Nazareth, on May 9. (Photo courtesy of the Cagayan de Oro City Police Office)
The victim, who was a resident of Barangay Lapasan, went to Barangay Nazareth to visit his talent trainer in preparation for the upcoming pageant.
Initial investigations revealed that the suspect was onboard in a "bao-bao" tricab based on the CCTV footage obtained by the authorities. Two suspects were considered in the case, including the driver of the bao-bao tricab.
Police Capt. Bayron John Ratunil, Nazareth police station chief, told reporters on May 9 that motive could be “pageant-related,” based on their initial probe.
"Posible man gihapon pero para sa akong heart, dili na siya mao; dili na siya ang rason (That’s still possible, but in my heart, that’s not it, that’s not the reason)," the victim’s father said in an interview over Bombo Radyo Cagayan de Oro, adding that the victim did not receive any threats.
The local police here are still investigating to fully determine the suspects and the motive.