ILOILO – A van carrying four individuals including two drug suspects was riddled with bullets over the weekend in Barangay Aglalana, Passi City.
Two passengers died at the Don Valerio Palmares District Hospital: Jennilyn Griño, 38, of Barangay Tanza Esperanza, Iloilo City and Jomar Fuentes, 22, of Barangay Bahit, Panit-an, Capiz. The latter had a gunshot wound at the back of his head while the other succumbed to multiple wounds.
Griño’s live-in partner, Kenneth Dorado, 40, of Barangay Bahit, Panit-an was hospitalized for a gunshot wound on the left thigh.
Driver Jennifer Opina of Poblacion Ilaya, Ivisan, Capiz was unscathed.
The victims were bound for Roxas City around 3 p.m. on Sept. 25 when strafed by three suspects riding a red Toyota Vios.
Recovered empty shells suggested a .9mm pistol, .45 pistol and an M16 armalite rifle were used in the strafing.
“As of now, we could not reveal the motive behind, as well as the suspects’ identities,” said Police Lieutenant Dennis Pamonag, Passi City police chief.
But investigators were not brushing off the possibility of the incident being drug-related.
“We were tracing their route. We were securing the closed-circuit television footage to know the plate number of the car,” Pamonag added.
The couple had drug cases, records of the Panit-an police showed.
Dorado was the subject of a buy-bust operation in 2008 in Capiz, while Griño was jailed following an anti-drug operation in 2009. She was released from jail three months ago.
Dorado was also accused of frustrated murder in 2017 for alleged land dispute.
“We are gathering evidence. We have to focus on this case,” Pamonag said.
On the other hand, Opina recalled overtaking the red car somewhere in Zarraga town. He claimed no road rage transpired./PN
