CAMP DIEGO SILANG, La Union – Five individuals were killed and three others were seriously injured when a father and his three sons went on a shooting and hacking spree against their rival family in Barangay Capas, Agoo, La Union at around 7:15 p.m. Tuesday.
Chief Inspector Artemio Infante, Agoo Police Chief, identified the fatalities as Reynaldo Refuerzo, 30, and his 3-year old daughter Mary Anne, Gil Cabilitazan and Zosimo Fontanilla, all residents of Capas, and their cousin Gilberto Cecilio, 41 of Dagupan City.
Those seriously wounded, Rodel Refuerzo, Gilmar Cabilitazan, and Benjie Tabunia, were all rushed to the Ilocos Training and Regional Medical Center for treatment.
Infante said the casualties and the injured victims suffered fatal shots, hack and stab wounds on the different parts of their heads and bodies.
The suspects were identified as Demetrio Gayo and his sons Noel, Oscar and Ferdinand, all residents of Capas.
Investigation showed that the victims were having a drinking spree along the road when the suspects arrived and Demetrio challenge them to a fight. Suddenly, his son Noel started shooting the victims one by one with a caliber .45 followed by the other suspects by stabbing and hacking successively.
The suspects immediately fled towards a mountainous trail in the area and they are now the subject of massive manhunt operations by law enforcers.
Infante said the motive of the incident is an old family feud between the suspects and the victims.
Police recovered eight empty shells of caliber .45 at the crime scene.
Probers are now conducting an in-depth investigation on the shooting rampage with the optimism that the suspects will be immediately arrested in order to face the multiple murder and multiple serious physical injuries to be filed against them by the local police force.
By Dexter A. See
