While ‘salvaged’ dog found in busay: Guard shoots copper wire thief dead

CEBU, Philippines - A security guard shot a man dead after he caught him allegedly stealing copper wire inside Carmen Copper Corporation in Barangay Don Andres Soriano, Toledo City on Monday.

Sixty-year-old Gallu Tolete, CCC’s head guard, also ended up being injured after he was stabbed repeatedly by the suspected thief before he managed to shoot the latter.

On Monday afternoon, Tolete and his subordinates reportedly saw the suspect inside the CCC compound carrying a copper wire.

The suspect noticed the guards and hid in the woods.

The guards continued to chase him and when Tolete got near to where the suspect was hiding, the latter attacked him with a scythe.

The man then stabbed Tolete repeatedly with the scythe, but the guard managed to shoot the suspect, hitting him to the head.

The man died on the spot while Tolete was rushed by his subordinates to South General Hospital.

The body of the suspected thief was brought to Saint Francis Funeral Homes in Barangay Poblacion, Toledo City for an autopsy.

Responding policemen recovered the scythe, the copper wire and a backpack that contains mechanic and electrical tools. They failed to recover the guard’s firearm.

Salvaged dog

Meanwhile, personnel of the Homicide Section of the Cebu City Police Office yesterday responded to a report of an alleged dead person thrown in Barangay Busay but what they recovered turned out to be an ani-mal.

The policemen just laughed out their frustration of having to go to the mountainous barangay and endure the rainy weather only to find out that what was placed inside the sack was actually a huge dog.

According to Police Officer 3 Winston Ybañez, one of the investigators who responded to the report, it was around 12 p.m. yesterday when they received a call from the driver of Cebu fourth district Representative Benhur Salimbangon informing them of the supposed dead person thrown in Busay.

The driver said he passed by the secluded area and saw two motorcycle-for-hire drivers nearby talking and seemed to be afraid, which prompted him to pull over and ask them what the problem was.

The two then told Salim-bangon’s driver that there was a dead person inside a sack thrown in the area. He then immediately called the Homicide Section, which immediately responded.

Ybañez said arriving at the area, one could really say that it was a dead person because of the stench and especially that the thing inside the sack appeared to be around five feet in height.

They checked what was inside the sack and saw something wrapped in cloth, covered in masking tape and finally wrapped in plastic.

However, Ybañez said when they slashed the wrapper, they were surprised to see a head of a dog, which appeared to be a German Shepherd breed that was about to decompose.

 “Hapit na g’yud mi manawag og punerarya kay mura man g’yud og tawo ang porma. Ang paa sa iro milakra sa giputos, mura g’yud og tawo hinoon. Unya ang area pwerting mingawa, sakto g’yud kung naa’y ilabay nga gi-salvage didto,” said Ybañez.

“Pastilan kay misiwil man ang simod sa iro, nangatawa na lang mi,” he added in jest.

Their team leader, Senior Police Officer 2 Wetzel Berry, said that circumstances like this are really part of their job and that they really have to respond to any alarms and reports their office receives.

 “Ok ra bisan basa mi sa ulan, trabaho man namo ‘ni. Maayo na lang unta gilubong na lang ‘to sa naglabay og tarong kay baho kaayo sa area,” said Berry.

He suspected that the dog had been thrown in the area for a day already and that the one who threw it is not a resident there. – (FREEMAN)