One of Avon guard’s ‘killers’ faces charge

CEBU, Philippines -  The Talisay City police on Tuesday filed a murder complaint before the Talisay City Prosecutor's Office against one of the suspects in the killing of a security guard in a cosmetics shop in Barangay Tabunok.

Senior Police Officer 1 Mikie Espina of Talisay City Police Station Homicide Section said Sisinio Merced has been charged with murder. This, as another case of frustrated robbery will be leveled against him in the coming days.

Espina, one of the investigators into the killing, said Merced was positively identified by the eyewitnesses.

Merced, 55, a resident of Barangay Cansojong of the same city, was the gunman, although another suspect who was still at large as of yesterday also shot security guard Ramel Bono.

 Merced was arrested last Monday, four days after the incident.

Espina said the presence of closed circuit television camera, which showed the two suspects who were supposed to rob the Avon Products and Cosmetics store Thursday last week, also helped in the investigation.

Danny Lopena, one of the franchise owners of the Avon branch, showed investigators CCTV footage of how the robbers tried to victimize their store.

The footage showed that the two men went to the Avon store at 1:55 p.m. One of them, wearing a black jacket, pants and a cap went inside the store first. A minute later his accomplice, wearing a white T-shirt, shorts and a black cap, also entered.

A store attendant who requested anonymity earlier said she entertained the first man who then asked to buy eyeliner. She asked him to have a seat while she processed his order.

"Ako ang nag-entertain niya kay mi-order man siya og eyeliner. Dili man ko makatuo nga tulisan kay gwapo ug nindot man siya og barug," she told the reporters.

The robbery was foiled when Bono fought with the suspects resulting to his death, police said.  (FREEMAN)