MANILA, Philippines – Just hours after Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa announced that their next targets would be riding-in-tandem killers, a barangay captain was shot dead in Tondo, Manila – by men riding a motorcycle.

At around 8:00 pm on Wednesday, October 11, Barangay 20 Captain Arnel Parce was talking to the family of a deceased colleague along San Roque Street in Tondo when 2 armed assailants approached them riding a motorcycle.

The back rider went down and shot Parce repeatedly, with the barangay leader falling to the ground “bloodied”, said the police spot report.

A deaf-mute companion of Parce who was across the street when the shooting happened, Christopher Balotinos tried to stop the gunman by jumping at him, giving him a bearhug from behind, and reaching for his gun.

As they struggled, the man on the motorcycle fled the scene, leaving his accomplice behind.

Balotinos was able to get the gun from the killer, but the gunman was able to free himself from his squeeze, swiftly running away.

Balotinos tried to shoot the shooter with his gun, but its bullets were already used. Balotinos sustained a gunshot wound to the back from the encounter, the police report, however, did not expound how.

The two victims were then rushed to the Gat Andres Bonifacio Memorial Medical Center where the former was declared dead on arrival at around 8:25 pm. Balotinos is still confined as of posting.

According to the police, the gunmen did not go unaccompanied at the scene.

Closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras recorded 2 back-ups standing watch just at a nearby corner of San Roque street. They left after the encounter.

The barangay chief’s killing is still under investigation.

Parce adds to a list of riding-in-tandem killings, which the PNP seeks to stop from getting longer. (READ: Koko Pimentel: Too many killings already, where’s PNP?)

A few hours earlier at the Senate, top cop Dela Rosa said that their new thrust against criminality will focus on riding-in-tandem killings.

With the PNP ordered “hands-off” from the war on drugs, he vowed to launch operations against shooters in motorcycles.

It is not certain how many riding-in-tandem killings have occurred, as the PNP counts all executions as killings, regardless if they are done inside homes or in the streets. – Rappler.com