Drug angle eyed in man's killing

CEBU, Philippines - A man died on the spot after he was shot multiple times while still bystanding outside their house past midnight yesterday in Sitio Sampaguita, Barangay Villagonzalo II, Cebu City.

Dante Echavez, 44, resident of the same place, succumbed to three gunshot wounds on the different parts of his body. His assailant remains unidentified as of this writing.

Initial investigation revealed that at around 12:55 a.m. yesterday, Echavez was just sitting in front of an Internet café located at an interior portion of the area.

An unidentified male person suddenly showed up and allegedly started shooting Echavez, hitting him in the head, right shoulder and left hand.

According to witnesses, the gunman just casually walked away after the shooting as if nothing happened. Echavez, on the other hand, died on the spot as assessed by the responding personnel of the Cebu City Emergency Medical Services.

Senior Police Officer 1 Wetzel Berry, investigator at the Homicide Section of the Cebu City Police Office, said the witnesses in the area remained tight-lipped on who could have killed Echavez.

He said even the live-in partner of the victim did not coordinate with them in their investigation.

However, Berry said they received information from neighbors that Echavez was involved in using illegal drugs and would sometime run accept errands for buying drugs.

Investigators are suspecting that Echavez may have failed to deliver the items to someone who may have instructed him. However, Berry said they are still digging deeper in the investigation to determine the real motive of the killing, as well as for the possible arrest of the suspect.  (FREEMAN)