Ex-NBI agent slain in Makati gym

MANILA, Philippines - A controversial former National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) agent was gunned down as he was working out in a gym in Barangay Bangkal, Makati City yesterday.

John Herra, 44, was shot in the Republic of Fitness Gym along General Malvar street by a man who pretended to be a customer in the gym, Chief Inspector Reycon Garduque of the city police’s crime investigation division said.

Herra was shot twice in the face, once in the leg and once in the stomach by the gunman, who was armed with a .45 caliber pistol. Garduque said the gunman walked out of the gym and fired his gun once he was out on the street.

“We are still trying to verify if the suspect had a getaway vehicle or had an accomplice,” he said.

The Makati police is preparing a sketch of Herra’s killer, described by witnesses as a man of medium build and 5’4” tall, wearing a baseball cap, a white undershirt and denim pants.

According to Garduque, the gunman could have observed Herra’s movements prior to the assassination. “He (Herra) lives near the gym and is a regular at the gym,” he said.

Initial police investigation showed that Herra arrived at the gym at about 8:30 a.m.  He then started his workout. Minutes later, the suspect walked into the gym and pretended to work out.

“The suspect, said witnesses, even asked Herra to spot him and to give him tips on how to use the weights,” Garduque said.

After about 30 minutes, Herra stepped away from the gunman and was wiping off his sweat when the suspect opened fire. “Herra did not see the gun as the suspect (put) it inside a brown paper bag which he had placed nearby,” Garduque said.

According to Garduque, seconds before he shot Herra, the gunman called someone on his mobile phone and he was heard saying: “Okay na.”

“We are still looking at the possible motives although we are not discounting the possibility that this could be linked to his past at the NBI,” he said.