BALASAN, Iloilo — A night of drinking at a sari-sari store turned violent. A gunman opened fire, injuring two individuals in Barangay Poblacion Sur, Balasan, Iloilo, on March 20.
The victims, identified as Kizza Bucayan Villeta, 23, of President Roxas, Capiz, and John Jobert Lachica Bacanto, 23, of Pilar, Capiz, were socializing inside the store when the attack occurred.
A suspected gunman had been identified – Ronilo Jimenez Diaz, 39, of Tapaz, Capiz, who fled with two unidentified companions.
Balasan police have launched a manhunt to track down the suspects.
According to investigators, a man wearing a red jersey suddenly entered and began shooting with a .45 caliber pistol. The suspect was reportedly accompanied by two others, one of whom was armed with a bladed weapon.
Two LGBTQ+ individuals, who were livestreaming at the time, recalled seeing the armed men moments before the shooting. They ran inside the store for cover, only to realize that the assailants had followed them.
Gunfire erupted, hitting Villeta in the back and Bacanto in the hip and lower back. Another individual inside the store sustained minor injuries from shattered glass.
Emergency responders rushed the victims to the Jesus M. Colmenares District Hospital in Balasan for medical treatment./PN
