The Quezon City Police District (QCPD) announced on Saturday, March 29, that it has filed murder charges against a man involved in the fatal shooting of a motorcycle rider along Commonwealth Avenue in Barangay Commonwealth, Quezon City.
According to the QCPD Public Information Office (PIO), the suspect was identified as Abo Kabalo Sampillo.
Sampillo allegedly shot and killed Wilmer Caponpon Zara on March 14 at around 6:26 p.m.
The QCPD Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit (CIDU) reported that Sampillo was initially flagged down by Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) enforcers at a checkpoint along Commonwealth Avenue for a traffic violation.
However, he ignored the authorities and fled.
The victim pursued the suspect on a motorcycle but was shot during the chase.
A peanut vendor who witnessed the incident immediately reported it to Police Station 6, prompting officers to rush the victim to Rosario Maclang Bautista General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Authorities reviewed a closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage, which revealed that the suspect was first pursued by MMDA enforcers before being chased by the victim.
The footage also showed Sampillo stealing the victim’s motorcycle, counterflowing on Soliven Street, and later shooting him in the head near Bingo Fortune.
Another CCTV clip captured the suspect walking near a mall before fleeing on a motorcycle.
Another witness identified Sampillo as the same person involved in a separate shooting incident in Novaliches, Quezon City, last Nov. 20.
Forensic tests confirmed that the same firearm was used in both cases.
Police recovered two 9mm Luger fired cartridge cases from the crime scene, both of which were confirmed to have been discharged from the same gun.
“Patuloy ang pagsisikap ng QCPD na mahuli ang suspek at maipagkaloob ang hustisya sa biktima at kanyang pamilya, habang pinaiigting ang imbestigasyon upang matiyak na mananagot ang may sala sa batas at mapigilan ang mga katulad na insidente sa hinaharap (The QCPD continues its manhunt operation to arrest the suspect and deliver justice to the victim and their family while intensifying the investigation to ensure that the perpetrator is held accountable and to prevent similar incidents in the future),” Buslig said.