ANGELES CITY – Yet another police task force was created yesterday to look into the killing of a 63-year-old retired US policeman who was shot dead in barangay Pampang here at 7:30 a.m. last Sunday.
City police director, Senior Supt. Danny Bautista told Punto he now heads Task Group Basham which was created yesterday to solve the killing of James Basham.
The foreigner died from a lone gunshot wound fired by a still unidentified suspect who fled on a motorcycle driven by an accomplice.
Chief Inspector Onnil de la Pena, chief of police Station 4 which covers Pampang, said the victim’s Filipino wife Jen told probers her husband was a retired cop in the US. The wife also said that apparently, her husband’s wallet containing identification cards was missing after the shooting.
This, as the police’s Tetangco-Yap Task Force admitted yesterday it has not made any progress in its probe on the killing of Rene Tetangco, brother of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas governor Amando Tetangco, businessman Florencio Yap and Yap’s aide Dennis Guinto whose bodies were found in Yap’s sports utility vehicle also in Barangay Pampanga in this city last June 2.
Senior Supt. Wendy Rosario, head of Tetangco-Yap Task Force, said that despite the P1-million reward offered by the police and a party the police have declined to identify, no suspect has been tagged in the murders.
He blamed this on the recent change in the leadership of the regional and city- level Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) which had played significant role in the probes.
Rosario stressed, however, that his task force has not folded up and “is still on the follow-up mode.”
Bautista said that his new task force, composed of representatives from the CIDG and cops from police station 2 in Barangay Pampang, remained at a loss on the identity and motive of Basham’s killers.
He noted that the two suspects were wearing full motorcycle helmets when one of them shot Basham in the back as the victim was about to hop into his motorcycle near the Pampang public market.
“We are still scouting for witnesses who might have seen any or both of the suspects without helmets as they waited for their target somewhere in the area,” Bautista said. Their getaway motorcycle was marked “For Registration”.
De la Pena said that while witnesses did not see the faces of the helmeted suspects, they described the suspects as both chubby and short.
Bautista said Basham had been staying in Angeles for the past three years and lived with his Filipino wife in Barangay Sto. Cristo here.
Probers still had to get more statements from the wife who seemed too distraught yesterday over the murder of her husband.
Bautista said that Basham was shot at the back and that the bullet hit his heart. The victim was pronounced dead upon arrival at the Ospital ning Angeles where bystanders rushed him immediately after the shooting.
Last July, three foreigners, as well as six of their Filipino companions, were shot dead in separate incidents in this city. The killings led to the arrest of suspect Mark Dizon who is now on trial for multiple murder and robbery.
In the recent years, however, several other foreigners had also been killed in this city. In June last year, Malaysian tourist, Selvaraj Palaniappen, 54, was shot dead by two suspects who apparently tried to rob him. Last March, American tourist Jerry Melton, 51, was gunned down in Barangay Malabanias just two days after he had arrived in the country.
Other foreign tourists, including Americans, Australians and Germans, have been killed in this city since 2007 but all their cases have remained unsolved. There had also been reports of purported suicides of foreign nationals here.
City police director, Senior Supt. Danny Bautista told Punto he now heads Task Group Basham which was created yesterday to solve the killing of James Basham.
The foreigner died from a lone gunshot wound fired by a still unidentified suspect who fled on a motorcycle driven by an accomplice.
Chief Inspector Onnil de la Pena, chief of police Station 4 which covers Pampang, said the victim’s Filipino wife Jen told probers her husband was a retired cop in the US. The wife also said that apparently, her husband’s wallet containing identification cards was missing after the shooting.
This, as the police’s Tetangco-Yap Task Force admitted yesterday it has not made any progress in its probe on the killing of Rene Tetangco, brother of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas governor Amando Tetangco, businessman Florencio Yap and Yap’s aide Dennis Guinto whose bodies were found in Yap’s sports utility vehicle also in Barangay Pampanga in this city last June 2.
Senior Supt. Wendy Rosario, head of Tetangco-Yap Task Force, said that despite the P1-million reward offered by the police and a party the police have declined to identify, no suspect has been tagged in the murders.
He blamed this on the recent change in the leadership of the regional and city- level Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) which had played significant role in the probes.
Rosario stressed, however, that his task force has not folded up and “is still on the follow-up mode.”
Bautista said that his new task force, composed of representatives from the CIDG and cops from police station 2 in Barangay Pampang, remained at a loss on the identity and motive of Basham’s killers.
He noted that the two suspects were wearing full motorcycle helmets when one of them shot Basham in the back as the victim was about to hop into his motorcycle near the Pampang public market.
“We are still scouting for witnesses who might have seen any or both of the suspects without helmets as they waited for their target somewhere in the area,” Bautista said. Their getaway motorcycle was marked “For Registration”.
De la Pena said that while witnesses did not see the faces of the helmeted suspects, they described the suspects as both chubby and short.
Bautista said Basham had been staying in Angeles for the past three years and lived with his Filipino wife in Barangay Sto. Cristo here.
Probers still had to get more statements from the wife who seemed too distraught yesterday over the murder of her husband.
Bautista said that Basham was shot at the back and that the bullet hit his heart. The victim was pronounced dead upon arrival at the Ospital ning Angeles where bystanders rushed him immediately after the shooting.
Last July, three foreigners, as well as six of their Filipino companions, were shot dead in separate incidents in this city. The killings led to the arrest of suspect Mark Dizon who is now on trial for multiple murder and robbery.
In the recent years, however, several other foreigners had also been killed in this city. In June last year, Malaysian tourist, Selvaraj Palaniappen, 54, was shot dead by two suspects who apparently tried to rob him. Last March, American tourist Jerry Melton, 51, was gunned down in Barangay Malabanias just two days after he had arrived in the country.
Other foreign tourists, including Americans, Australians and Germans, have been killed in this city since 2007 but all their cases have remained unsolved. There had also been reports of purported suicides of foreign nationals here.
