COTABATO CITY (MindaNews / 22 May)—A former town councilor in Maguindanao del Sur was killed when an assassin opened fire a pistol shortly before noon while the former was about to leave a hotel here after attending a government function.
The victim was identified as Abdulrahman Kasid, of the municipality of Mamasapano, who was shot as he just stepped outside the Em Manor Hotel and about to board his vehicle. The hotel is about 500 meters away from City Hall.
Adam Guiamad, operations head of the City Public Safety Office, said they immediately responded to the reported incident but the suspects had already escaped before authorities arrived.
“We have to check the CCTV from this hotel. We are expecting that the incident was captured on video,” Guiamad said in an interview.
The incident took place around 11 a.m.
Guiamad said that, based on witnesses’ accounts, the suspects were sighted to have boarded a pick-up truck after the gunman fired at least 11 bullets.
Kasid died before he could reach a hospital.
He was one of the guests and recipients of a housing turn-over project of the Ministry of Human Settlements and Development of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (MHSD-BARMM).
Police has not yet released the result of the investigation.
Residents of the city have expressed deep concern over the series of atrocities in the past days as the city is celebrating its 65th founding anniversary.
On Sunday, a grenade exploded inside the Sto. Niño Chapel in Barangay Rosary Heights 3, injuring two people. (Ferdinandh Cabrera / MindaNews)