A suspected member of the Torregosa Robbery Group which has allegedly been carrying out armed robberies in Bohol’s second district in the past weeks was shot dead inside a cockpit arena in Getafe town on Sunday afternoon, police said.

The fatality was identified as Laurencio Racal, Jr., 43, of Barangay Cabasacan in Getafe. Police said that the victim previously surrendered under Oplan Tokhang as a drug personality.

According to Captain Gereon Item of the Bohol police Provincial Intelligence Branch (PIB), they were able to identify Racal as among members of the said robbery group whose leader, Virgelio Torregosa, was arrested last week for gun charges.

The allegation was based on followup investigations conducted by the PIB after Torregosa’s arrest on November 6, Item said.

In a report, police said that Racal was surrounded by four armed men inside the pitting area of the arena but only one of them shot him twice, hitting him at the back of his head.

The crowd inside the arena immediately dispersed while none have so far been able to give any description on the assailants who were only noted to have been wearing caps.

Racal was still rushed to the Francisco Dagohoy Memorial Hospital in Inabanga but was declared dead on arrival by the attending physician.

Meanwhile, responding police officers found two spent shells fired from a .45 caliber pistol at the crime scene.

For his part, Getafe Police Station chief Captain Benecer Tamboboy said that they are still conducting investigations to identify the motive and persons behind the daylight gun attack. (WM)