During a disco at brgy Tinago: Woman dead, another hurt from gunfire in gang fight

A 45-year-old wife of a Philippine Navy officer was hit and died later at the hospital while another woman was wounded when a teenager fired a gun during a melee between two groups at the outskirts of an open-air disco at barangay Tinago, about 4 a.m. yesterday.

The victim, Josephine Fernandez, wife of Navy officer Oliver Fernandez, suffered gunshot wounds in her shoulder and face and was taken to a private hospital where she expired a few hours later.

The other victim, 37-year-old Imelda Enecillo, was hit in her right arm and was taken to the Cebu City Medical Center. She was among the crowd watching the open-air disco when the two groups suddenly broke into a fight.

Responding policemen arrested a 16-year-old boy, who was a resident of barangay San Roque and a freshman of Tejero Night High School, and his 34-year-old companion William Batindaan. Two of their companions were however able to flee.

The teenager admitted that he was the one who fired the gun, locally known as "pugakhang", that he said he got from his friends and used it to fire against the group that beat him and Batindaan up earlier.

The teenager, showing several bruises on his face and body, claimed that the group that attacked them consisted of four men that he claimed to be members of a fraternity.

He said that the fraternity members, who were residents of the place but whose names he did not know, got jealous of him triggering the attack.

"Gawas rami nag-inom gisuyaan lang gyud mi sa mga sakop sa Akrho, gitabangan ko ug kulata, gibunalbunalan og bangko, nakahulam man ko ug pugakhang sa akong higala, ngitngit naman gud kaayo sir, pero kausa rako nakapabuto sir," the teenager said.

Homicide investigator SPO2 Rey Cuyos said informants told him that, while the disco was going on, a rumble among young men suddenly broke out.

Navyman Oliver Fernandez came to pacify the two groups and advise them to go home but gunfires suddenly erupted hitting the two women who were near the disco at the time.

SP01 Rene Sultan, a resident of the place, quickly responded and arrested the teenager and Batindaan. The police are now set to file charges against the two. - Gregg M. Rubio/RAE