DAVAO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Aug. 1, 2014) – Police authorities are searching for at least 3 gunmen who killed a witness to the murder of a Filipino journalist in the southern Philippines.
The gunmen shot the 34-year old Ritchie Manapol inside a billiard house in Davao City on July 31 and fled after the attack.
Witnesses told police investigators that Manapol – who was admitted to the Witness Protection Program of the Department of Justice – tried to flee after seeing the armed men, but he was chased and cornered inside and was shot repeatedly until he died.
The motive of the attack is still unknown, but police said Manapol was a key witness to the 2010 murder of Nestor Bedolido, who was killed by gunmen in Digos City.
Manapol was supposed to be under the protection of the government and it was unknown how his killing would affect the case of Bedolido. One of the newspaperman’s alleged killer surrendered and linked politicians to the murder of Bedolido. (Mindanao Examiner)
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