Photojournalist, three others survive ambush in QC
A photojournalist and three others including minors survived a shooting incident in Quezon City on Thursday, Quezon City Police District (QCPD) Director Brig. Gen. Nicolas Torre said.
In a radio interview, Torre said four of the seven people onboard a vehicle with photojournalist Joshua Abiad of Remate Online were injured because of the incident that happened along Corumi Street corner Gazan Street in Barangay Masambong around 3:50 pm.
This was the second incident involving journalists in the National Capital Region after the killing of broadcaster Percy Lapid last year.
Major General Edgar Alan Okubo, National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) director condemned the attack.
"The National Capital Region Police Office strongly condemns the recent act of violence targeting one of our media partners and his family in Masambong, Quezon City. This heinous act is an attack not only on the individuals involved but also on the freedom of the press and the values we hold dear as a society," he said.
Torre said the victims were on their way home from a hotel at the Entertainment City in Macapagal Boulevard when they were fired upon by the suspects riding a car and a single motorcycle.
"They (suspects) followed the victims, seven of them were on board an Everest driven by the father of the media man together with some children. So four who were injured were the media man, his father, and the two kids, while three others were unharmed and those who were injured were rushed to the hospital" he said.
Police are still conducting dragnet operations for possible apprehension and identification of the suspects.
Torre said as Abiad is a witness to drug cases, the investigators are considering it as one of the possible motives behind the incident.
Based on the initial investigation the plate number used by the suspects is fake because it is registered for a Toyota Corolla vehicle while the suspect utilized it in a Honda car.
Torre expressed confidence that QCPD will be able to capture the suspects.
"We can get them. We can trace them because we already have CCTV, we are high tech already. We have 800 cameras and all of them are working. That is why we do not have any doubt that we can get them, just give us more time," he said. Robina Asido/DMS
