Man, daughter killed in Caloocan attack

MANILA, Philippines - An unidentified gunman barged into a house in Caloocan City Monday afternoon, killing a man and his nine-year-old daughter and wounding his wife.

Victorino Sarmiento Jr., 40, was playing with his daughter, Angelica Shane, in their house in Bagong Silang at around 5:30 p.m. when the gunman entered the house and shot them.

Sarmiento died on the spot while the girl suffered gunshot wounds in both legs. Sarmiento’s wife, Charmee, 24, tried to grab the gun from the attacker, who pistol-whipped her.

The attacker and a lookout, who remained outside the house, escaped when Sarmiento’s neighbors were alerted by the commotion.

The family was brought to the Dr. Jose Rodriguez Hospital in Tala, where Angelica Shane died on the operating table.

Barugo station commander and Caloocan police spokesman Superintendent Ferdie del Rosario said investigators are facing a blank wall “because Sarmiento was just an ordinary company driver and is known in the neighborhood as a good person.”

He said they are checking if there are closed-circuit television cameras in the area and if there are witnesses who saw the attackers’ faces.