Police have launched a hot pursuit operation to arrest the assailant who shot and wounded a local media practitioner along the Maharlika Highway in Morera village in Guinobatan town on Monday morning, Oct. 20.
Lt. Col. Maria Luisa Calubaquib, Bicol police spokesperson, identified the victim as Noel Samar, 54, of Kadunong ITV and DWIZ.
‘He sustained four gunshot wounds from a caliber .45 pistol when he was ambushed at 9:05 a.m.,’ she said.
She said Samar was rushed to the Bicol Regional Hospital and Medical Center and is scheduled to undergo surgery.
The motive has yet to be determined.
‘Checkpoints have been set up, while adjacent municipal police stations have been alerted to help track down the suspect/s, who fled after the shooting,’ Col. Noel Nuñez, Albay police chief, said.
He said a Special Investigation Task Group (SITG) ‘Samar’ has been formed to lead the probe, gather CCTV footage, and interview witnesses.
Brigadier Gen. Nestor C. Babagay Jr., Bicol police chief, condemned the attack and ordered an intensified manhunt and a thorough investigation. INQ