MANILA, Philippines – Investigators are eyeing his previous anti-drug work as possible motive behind the killing of Senior Master Sergeant Solomon Cugay along EDSA-Connecticut.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, March 27, Eastern Police District (EPD) chief Brigadier General Christopher Tambungan that Cugay used to work with the anti-drugs team of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) before he was gunned down in broad daylight on Tuesday afternoon, March 26.

And being anti-drug cop means going against not only drug pushers and users but also the machinery of drug syndicates.

“When we look at his previous assignment, he was previously assigned to RAID (regional anti-illegul drugs) [unit], and there are syndicates that they broke and busted, so that’s why we think it might be work-related,” Tambungan said in a mix of English and Filipino.

Despite this suspicion, cops still have no information on who or how many shot Cugay. Tambungan said the CCTV at the crime scene was “under maintenance” so it failed to capture clips of the attack. (READ: Police endorse ‘doble plaka’ anew after EDSA-Connecticut shooting)

The EPD chief called on motorists who saw the attack or those who even caught it with their dashcams to coordinate with the police as soon as possible.

Earlier in the morning, police chief General Oscar Albayalde said that Cugay used to be on their drug watch list but was eventually cleared. The police chief said it was unclear whether this might be connected to the cop’s death.

Cugay’s killing is the second along EDSA in 5 weeks, following the ambush which killed businessman Jose Luis Yulo inside his van. Despite this, Tambungan said Cugay’s killing was an “isolated case” because it had a different motive.  – Rappler.com