Village official in
Samar shot dead
By ELI C. DALUMPINES (PIA
Samar)
April 14, 2007
CATBALOGAN, Samar –
An official of an interior village of Sta. Margarita town was shot
dead by two still unidentified gunmen Tuesday afternoon, police
reports said.
Sta. Margarita police
reported that Artemio C. Onate, 46 years old and a Barangay Kagawad of
Brgy. Camperito was on his way home after taking an afternoon bath at
Pambuhan River around 6 p.m. Tuesday when he was shot.
Onate sustained
gunshot wounds in his head and in his left leg which resulted to his
instantaneous death.
The police recovered
from the crime scene 5 empty shells of cal. 45 pistol and an empty
shell of 12 gauge shotgun.
No witnesses have
surfaced to shed light on the case as of press time though.
But Samar Police
Director Supt. Asdali Idja Abah directed the Sta. Margarita Police to
conduct a thorough investigation to identify the suspects and to
determine the motive behind the killing.
Lately, there has been
a series of killings allegedly perpetrated by the communist New
People’s Army (NPA) against local government officials who expressed
support to the government’s anti-insurgency drive but the military has
yet to confirm whether the Onate killing is insurgency-related or not.
