Police arrest ‘gunman’ in shooting of photojournalist in Quezon City
MANILA, Philippines – The alleged gunman in the shooting of photojournalist Joshua Abiad was arrested by the police last July 7, the Quezon City Police District (QCPD) announced Tuesday, July 11.
In a press conference Tuesday afternoon, QCPD chief Police Brigadier General Nicolas Torre III said they arrested one of the alleged gunmen, Eduardo “Bingbong” Almario Legazpi III, Friday last week. Torre said they already filed complaints for alleged illegal possession of firearms and explosives against Legazpi with the Muntinlupa City Prosecutor’s Office.
The alleged assailant will also be presented for inquest, and will face murder and frustrated murder complaints that will be filed with the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office, the QCPD chief added. Meanwhile, the manhunt operation against Legazpi’s cohorts – around six to seven people – is still ongoing.
When asked how they located the alleged gunman, Torre said they reviewed hundreds of closed circuit television (CCTV) footage from Quezon City to Muntinlupa to spot Legazpi.
“The picture of Almario was shown to a confidential informant, who led the group to Almario’s residence and his cohorts at Brgy. Ilaya, Alabang, Muntinlupa City that resulted in the arrest of Almario,” the QCPD Public Information Office said.
During the press conference, Torre also revealed the aliases of other people tagged in the case. They are as follows:
- Also known as (aka) Nanad; mastermind; former barangay chairman
- Aka Greg; middleman
- Aka Juan; middleman
- Aka Mata, Alexis; player/ driver of the pink motorcycle spotted in CCTV
- Aka Marlon; player/ Abiad’s gunman
- Aka Oca; player/ driver of the Toyota Vios spotted in CCTV
- Aka Sboy; player/ passenger of Toyota Vios, Oca’s cousin
The police, meanwhile, also announced that they seized one .45 caliber pistol, seven live ammunition, one M26A1 grenade, and one black motorcycle.
On June 29, Abiad and his relatives were shot while inside a vehicle in Barangay Masambong. He survived the incident, but sustained two gun shot wounds in his body. Unfortunately, Abiad’s nephew died due to the shooting. – Rappler.com