BY RUBY P. SILUBRICO & JEN BAYLON
ILOILO City – Early yesterday morning, a 16-year-old boy from Barangay Rizal Pala-Pala Zone 2 was fatally shot amidst a brawl at the boundary of barangays Rizal Pala-Pala Zone 1 and Rizal Estanzuela in City Proper district.
Police Captain Roque Gimeno III, head of Iloilo City Police Station 1, said “Mikee” succumbed to a gunshot wound in his stomach at the Iloilo Doctors’ Hospital.
Mikee and six other minors were having a drinking spree along the seawall around 12:10 a.m. when a group of 15 individuals approached them.
An altercation began when a member of the larger group allegedly threw an empty bottle, escalating tensions between the two groups.
In the ensuing chaos, an unidentified man, notable for a tattoo on his right shoulder, drew a firearm and shot Mikee.
The police were alerted about the brawl around 12:40 a.m.
“By the time we arrived, Mikee was found on the road with a gunshot wound, and the groups had already dispersed,” said Gimeno.
While the shooter remains unidentified, the police have taken two 16-year-olds suspected to be involved in the brawl into custody.
Gimeno said, “Our aim is to gather information from the detained individuals to identify the shooter.”
In related news, the Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO) is monitoring 28 newly-formed youth gangs. Major Shella Mae Sangrines, the ICPO spokesperson, noted that while these gangs are not highly structured, many members are minors and students.
The distribution of these youth gangs across districts is as follows:
* City Proper and Molo – eight gangs each
* Jaro – six gangs
* Arevalo – four gangs
* La Paz and Mandurriao – one gang each
“These groups have recently formed, and we are closely observing their activities,” Sangrines said.
Additionally, on Oct. 9, two minors from Barangay Tanza-Baybay in City Proper were arrested following another brawl. The police found a knife on them during the apprehension./PN
