SAN JOSE CITY – A 48-year-old customer in a carinderia was gunned down by a man who went violent after the cashier refused his offer to pawn a mobile phone for bottles of liquor in Barangay Calaocan here Thursday.
Police identified the victim as Francis Parada, Jr., resident of Barangay Palestina also of this city while the suspect was identified as Jaime Roja, Jr. of San Isidro, Lupao.
Investigation disclosed the victim was buying cigar at the carinderia when the suspect on board a motorcycle asked the cashier, a 58-year-old woman, to sell him liquor with his phone as pawn.
When the woman refused, Roja reportedly drew a .9mm pistol and asked the cashier: “ito, pwede ko bang isangla?”
Scared, the woman ran away as Parada grabbed but failed to get the gun from the suspect.
“The suspect successively shot the victim and the latter sustained gunshot wound and was brought to San Jose City General Hospital for medical treatment while the suspect walked away from the crime scene towards west direction,” police reported.
The victim was pronounced dead upon arrival by an attending physician, police added.
Recovered from the crime scene were empty shells from .9mm, the suspect’s mobile phone and motorcycle without license plate.
The suspect had to flee on foot because a bystander allegedly took the bike’s ignition key while the commotion was ongoing.
Hot pursuit operation was launched for the possible arrest of the suspect.
