A 39-year-old man who was allegedly a member of a gun-for-hire gang was shot dead outside a village disco in Buenavista town.
Buenavista police investigator Corporal Wilson Daguing said the victim was gunned down while drinking with two others near a variety store in Barangay Nueva Montaña, which was celebrating its fiesta on Friday last week.
The fatality Ponciano Betaganso, a native of Barangay Cawag, Buenavista, died on the spot after he was shot once in the face by the lone assailant.
He had just arrived in Bohol from Davao City to join the festivities on the same day he was killed.
“Kaning biktima galingkod daplin sa gidiscohan. Duol na siya’g tindahan dayon nagtapad na silang tulo ka taw unya gikuot gikan sa gawas kay diha may koral na sin. Didto ra pusila gikan sa gawas pero gi dul-it gyud mao na-igo siya sa nawng. Nilingi ning biktima, basin gi sampit to unya dretso boto na,” said Daguing.
Investigators found one spent shell fired from a .45 caliber pistol at the crime scene.
According to Daguing, three persons of interest are now being tracked for possible involvement in the gun attack.
He did not identify the persons so as not to jeopardize their ongoing investigation.
Daguing said Betaganso earlier fled Bohol amid a rift among members of their gun-for-hire group which led to a series of shootings against each other.
He was believed to have been in hiding in Metro Manila and then in Mindanao since 2016.
“Grupo man gud ni sila na mga hired killier sauna. Kadtong pagkahitabo na ga baws baws na sila og pinatyanan sa bukid sauna kay nagkabikil sila sa ilang isig ka grupo. Pagkahitabo na mi baws si Ponciano, nilayas ni siya,” said Daguing.
Based on the police’s initial probe, Betaganso met another member of their gun-for-hire group on the same day he was gunned down thinking that the conflict had subsided over five years after it erupted.
“Kaning biktima ga tuo siya’g wa na, na okay na. Gatuo siya’g nag-uli na og kabubot-on. Pero karon mura’g ga dinumtanay pa man gihapon sila,” he added.
Howeber, Daguing noted that Betaganso had no pending cases filed against him.
The allegations against him were based on police intelligence reports but these were still being investigated.
Meanwhile, police are still set to conduct a deeper probe on the incident. (A. Doydora)