2 men killed in separate shooting incidents

A drug surrenderer was shot dead yesterday morning by an unidentified assailant in Sitio Datag, Barangay Maribago, Lapu-Lapu City.

Senior Police Officer 3 Allan Pantaleon, investigator of the case said Garneth Hias, 32, a resident of Barangay Pajac, Lapu-Lapu City, was about to board his motorcycle after buying fish in a market in the area when the assailant came up from behind and shot him once with a .45 cal. pistol.

Hias was hit in the back of the head and collapsed to the ground while the assailant escaped the area on a motorcycle driven by another man waiting just nearby.

Hias was immediately rushed to the hospital but was declared dead on arrival.

Pantaleon said that Hias was a former drug surrenderer in their barangay and even graduated from the drug rehabilitation program of the city. He added that there is a big possibility that the motive of the shooting was related to illegal drugs.

"Matod pa sa pamilya kay wala man daw ni kaaway. Wala man sad daw nanghulga ani," Pantaleon said.

Meanwhile, a guard on duty was shot dead by his head of security with an improvised shotgun called a pugakhang early Thursday morning in Barangay Mabolo, Cebu City.

Police said around 3:30 a.m. on Thursday, Jinnifer C. Pogado, a resident of Barangay Inayawan, Cebu City, was on duty at the gate of the establishment they were guarding when the alleged assailant, Margarito Alfante, a resident of Barangay LoregaSan Miguel, Cebu City, arrived carrying a steel pipe.

Pogado and Alfante got in an argument and later Alfante aimed the pipe at the victim's head and a loud bang was heard.

Alfante was later seen leaving the area with the service firearm of the victim and the steel pipe used in the crime; both were later found by the police a short distance from the crime scene

Police are eyeing personal grudge behind the crime. The alleged assailant is still at large while the victim later died at the Chong Hua Hospital where he was rushed to after the incident.