| Injured | Killed |
|---|---|
| 2 | 1 |
Date: 21 September 2010
Source: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/metro/view/20100922-293798/Gunmen-open-fire-on-3-men-playing-chess-in-QC-alley-kill-1
FIVE masked men carrying high-powered firearms entered Republic Avenue, an alley in Barangay Holy Spirit, Quezon City, at around midnight on Tuesday and fired at a group of men playing chess, killing one of them and wounding two others.
Case officer PO2 Jogene Hernandez of the Quezon City Police District said Marlon Marquez, 25, died on the spot due to multiple gunshot wounds.
His companions—Aries Caneta, 23; and Ryan Dipon, 20; both residents of the area—were rushed by relatives to East Avenue Medical Center where they remain confined.
Supt. Anthony Yarra said this was the first time a shooting incident took place on Republic Avenue.
“This is the first reported case in this area and we will look into it,” he told the Inquirer.
Investigation showed that before the shooting, a crowd was gathered in the alley under a lamp post, watching the victims playing chess.
Barangay Holy Spirit executive officer Benjamin Verriber said residents usually gather in the alley at night when they find it hard to sleep.
“It is where residents there hang around because it’s well-lit,” he said as he added, “It’s not a plaza but there’s always a crowd there.”
Police said they were looking into the possibility that the incident could be a case of mistaken identity because the armed men targeted the victims and did not harm other people in the area.
“According to a witness, the suspects left after they realized their target was not there,” Hernandez said.
He added that a resident told investigators that he heard one of the gunmen tell his companions that the man they were looking for was not in the crowd.
The witness said this was after one of the armed men pointed his gun at him but did not fire when he saw his face.
The barangay official, however, said that Caneta, who was wounded, could be the target of the gunmen and that his companions were hit in the crossfire.
He added that Caneta had just been released from detention after he got involved in a brawl.