By NITZ ARANCON
Correspondent
MOTORCYCLE-RIDING gunmen shot and killed a relative of the family of Senate President Aquilino Martin Pimentel III inside the Balulang National High School campus yesterday morning.
Police identified the victim as 28-year old Jerome Pimentel, a construction worker from lower Balulang.
Former mayor and senator Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel Jr. said the victim was the son of one of his cousins.
“The victim was the son of my cousin, a farmer… I hope it (was) not a EJK (extra-judicial killing)… Whatever it was, I hope the family can get justice,” said the elder Pimentel.
The victim was working in a building construction project in the campus, hauling sand and gravel, when two still unidentified men on a motorcycle came and shot him at point-blank range at around 7:30 am, said PO3 Junel Monterola of the Carmen police station.
The victim’s mother Mernalyn hinted that she suspected her son was killed because he was suspected to be into illegal drugs.
Mernalyn said her son had a drug history but was a changed man.
“Naapil man ni siya sa ‘Tokhang’ pero karon nagbag-o na kini siya kay nagtrabaho na gani sa construction alang sa ilang panginabuhi,” said the victim’s mother as she called for justice for her son.
Police said the motive for the attack remained unclear at presstime although the killing was similar to the series of shooting deaths involving criminals and suspected criminals in the city.
PO3 Monterola said investigators were also trying to identify suspects.
He said the police were looking into the possibility that Jerome Pimentel’s murder had something to do with an altercation in Balulang that involved the victim and another man early this week.
Monterola said Pimentel allegedly attacked another with a rock but missed his target.
“Ato pang palawoman ang atong investigation aron pagsuta kon ang iyang kamatayon duna bay kalabutan o wala sa iyang gika-away niadtong milabay nga adlaw,” Monterola said.
Dr. Christian Caballes of the Scene of the Crime Operatives (Soco) said his group found two caliber .45 pistol shells at the crime scene.
He said they would also subject the body to an autopsy.
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