Man, 76, shoots woman over debt, tries to kill self

Fueled by the suspect’s rage over the victim’s outstanding debt, a 76 years old man shot a 28 years old woman and later attempted to commit suicide resulting in both individuals landed in the hospital.

The incident occurred in Purok Kalabasa, Barangay Pitalo, San Fernando, Cebu in the broad daylight of January 22, 2024.

The victim was identified as Catherine Caballero Dioba, single and with a live-in partner, while the suspect was identified as Martin Juezan Basco, married, and both are residents of the said barangay.

Police Major Mark Anthony Villanueva of San Fernando Police Station said that the initial investigation by the police revealed that Basco has a money-lending business wherein Dioba was in charge of both finding borrowers and handling the payment collection until such time that the victim could no longer provide the money to the suspect despite asking for it many times.

Villanueva added that the suspect was mad at the victim because she showed no effort to pay him back, and the suspect would even frequently see the victim on a drinking spree.

He even admitted to his wife about his intentions of killing Dioba, but the wife did not take it seriously.

The suspect sighted the victim at 11:05 in the morning on January 22 having a drinking spree in the neighborhood, and he immediately shot at her.

The victim, who sustained a gunshot wound at her back, immediately ran back to her home.

For fear of being arrested, Basco fled to his home and attempted to kill himself and open fire at his head. But the gun didn’t fire, so he tried it again and fired on his chest. This time, he was hit by a bullet in his chest.

Both injured individuals were rushed to the hospital for medication.