Marikina city official shot dead

MANILA, Philippines – A Marikina city government official was gunned down outside his home early Tuesday, July 14. 

Renato Sto Domingo, head of the city’s Transportation Management and Enforcement Division, was shot by two unidentified assailants around 7 am outside his house in Bantayog Street in Barangay Concepcion Uno.

Police said Sto Domingo, 62, sustained gunshot wounds on his right cheek and was declared dead-on-arrival at the St Vincent Hospital.

The suspects also left leaflets accusing Sto Domingo of extortion before leaving the area.

Before working in the city’s traffic division, Sto Domingo used to be a police officer.

Marikina Chief of Police Superintendent Vincent Calanoga told Rappler that they are already following up leads on the two suspects.

He said they are trying to determine whether Sto Domingo’s killing is linked to his work in the traffic division or his previous job as a police inspector.

Calanoga also said they are still verifying the accusations written on the leaflets.

“They may be trying to divert the course of the investigation,” he said.

Aside from interviewing possible witnesses in the area, Calanoga said they will also review the footage from 3 CCTV cameras that were located in a 500 meter radius around the crime scene.

In a statement, Marikina Mayor Del De Guzman expressed his sadness over the incident.

“It is sad that in an instant, his life was taken. In discharging our duties as public servants, encounter with unhappy clients is inevitable. However, I am confident that our policemen are capable to give justice to what happened to Sto Domingo,” he said. – Rappler.com