
ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Dec. 8, 2013) – One civilian was killed in a drive-by shooting Sunday in the southern Filipino port city of Zamboanga, police said.
It said Al-Sabri Omar, 31, was killed instantly after a drive-by shooting in Tetuan – two days after motorcycle gunmen also shot and wounded Maria Victoria C. Montaño, assistant to Ateneo de Zambioanga University president Fr Karel San Juan in the same village.
Police said the Omar’s attackers were armed with an M16 automatic rifle and that investigators recovered at least 28 bullet shells from the crime scene. One woman, Maryjane Ko, 36, was also wounded by a stray bullet. Omar was on a motorcycle when shot along Marquez Drive.
The victim’s family did not give any statement to the press about the killing, but police have identified the attackers and are being tracked down in Zamboanga.
Gun attacks are common in Zamboanga where hired killers actively operate. Many of the killings in Zamboanga remain unsolved.
Montaño’s shooting is also unresolved. She was shot while heading home in a car with her 14-year old son who was unscathed from the attack.
The gunmen fled after the shooting. The motive of the attack is still unknown and police said Montaño is being closely guarded at the hospital where she was rushed shortly after the shooting.
Police said the gunmen shot the woman several times with a 9mm pistol. At least 8 bullet shells were recovered from the area.
No individual claimed responsibility for the shooting, but the news attack of the attack quickly spread among Ateneo students who condemned the violence. There was no immediate statement from the Ateneo de Zamboanga University about the attack on its employee. (Mindanao Examiner)