BACOLOD City – A policeman, who had been absent without official leave (AWOL), was shot to death by four unidentified gunmen along Circumferential Road in Barangay Villamonte in this city.
Killed was Police Patrolman Eric Alcosaba of Barangay Mansilingan, a former member of Bacolod City Police Office Station 7.
Police Major Reynante Jomocan, chief of Police Station 4, said Alcosaba parked his pickup truck in front of a fast food restaurant when his assailants approached and fired at him around 3:50 p.m. on Saturday.
Alcosaba reportedly tried to flee on foot, but he fell on the ground. One of the gunmen came near him and shot him again in the head at close range.
A commuter onboard a jeepney managed to capture part of the incident on a video, showing one of the gunmen was seen looking inside Alcosaba’s vehicle while holding what appears to be an assault rifle.
The assailants then boarded their unidentified getaway vehicle and escaped heading south along the Circumferential Road. Alcosaba was declared dead on the spot.
Jomocan said they recovered several empty shells of .45-caliber and 5.56-caliber firearms, an unidentified empty shells and several deformed slugs in the crime scene.
Police also recovered the victim’s pickup truck riddled with bullet holes on the front passenger side compartment.
The victim had been allegedly named by slain drug bagman Ricky Serenio of having alleged links to illegal drug activities in Negros Occidental.
Following Serenio’s revelation, Alcosaba was reassigned to Mindanao in March 2017, however the latter did not take up reassignment and has gone AWOL ever since.
Jomocan added Alcosaba worked at a construction firm after going AWOL. The police official confirmed that the construction firm is linked to a politician in Negros Occidental.
Police investigators are looking at personal grudges or the victim’s alleged links to illegal drugs as possible motive the killing. They have yet to identify the suspects as of this writing./PN
