The Cebu City Police Office swiftly arrested two suspects, an uncle and his nephew, identified as the perpetrators of a shooting incident that occurred on Friday, May 15, 2026, at around 5:00 AM in Tres de Abril, Barangay Labangon, Cebu City. The victim, a fish vendor known as alyas Lina, 50, from Sityo Tubod, Barangay Buhisan, was shot while riding a habal-habal motorcycle to buy fish in Pasil.
Suspects Identified and Arrested
The arrested individuals are alyas Francis, 38, from Sityo Tubod, Barangay Buhisan, who acted as the gunman, and his nephew alyas Ricky, 21, from Sityo Tambisan, Barangay Tisa, who drove the motorcycle. The victim sustained a gunshot wound to the back that exited through her neck, inflicted with a .45 caliber pistol. She was immediately taken to Cebu City Medical Center and is now in stable condition.
CCTV Footage Leads to Suspects
Labangon Police Station 10, led by Police Captain Joel Dela Cerna, quickly obtained CCTV footage from the area. The clear images allowed authorities to identify the suspects and the motorcycle plate number. According to Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) Director, Colonel George Ylanan, the footage was shown to the victim's family and witnesses, which led to the identification of the motorcycle, helmets, and t-shirts worn by the suspects, who were neighbors of the victim.
Manhunt and Motive
A manhunt operation was launched, resulting in the arrest of alyas Ricky at his home, followed shortly by his uncle alyas Francis. During investigation at Labangon Police Station, alyas Francis revealed the motive: he believed the victim had reported him to the police for his involvement in illegal drugs in Buhisan. Ylanan stated that during a police patrol in Labangon on Wednesday, Francis fled because he thought he would be arrested.
Ylanan explained, "As to the motive, our suspect, the gunman, was involved in illegal drugs. Days before, Police Station 10 conducted an operation against him. He assumed that their neighbor, the victim, was the one who reported him to Station 10 because he was previously arrested and managed to escape during the operation." Background investigation revealed that Francis had a case of frustrated murder but was released on bail.
