Marawi

Gunmen use ambulance in Marawi gun attack, video shows

Ferdinandh Cabrera, Merlyn Manos

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Gunmen use ambulance in Marawi gun attack, video shows

GUN ATTACK. A CCTV recording shows an ambulance being used in carrying out a gun attack in Marawi City on Wednesday, March 15.

PNP-Lanao del Sur handout

(1st UPDATE) The police identify a suspect in the attack as a former councilor of Gannasi in Lanao del Sur, and confirm that the ambulance belongs to the town government

COTABATO CITY, Philippines – Gunmen used an ambulance to carry out a gun attack in Marawi City, a disturbing video that has been circulating on social media showed.

Police said the attack took place around 1:53 pm on Wednesday, March 15, on a busy street in Sarimanok, where a food vendor identified as Joseph Alindo Saragena was wounded. 

The 39-year-old Saragena was rushed to the state-owned Amai Pakpak Medical Center where he was declared in stable condition.

Police identified on Thursday, March 16, a suspect in the attack as Ansary Marohombsar, a former councilor of Gannasi town in Lanao del Sur.

Major Alvison Mustapha, the spokesperson of the Lanao del Sur police, also confirmed that the ambulance belongs to the Gannasi town government.

In an earlier interview, he said he suspected that the gun attack was carried out by more than one person, and the triggerman used a handgun.

Exactly how the town government’s ambulance became accessible and used to carry out the attack remained unclear as of posting time, but the town’s mayor, Hosni Macapado, promised to help in locating Marohombsar.

Mustapha said the ambulance was seized by the Gannasi town police and handed over to the Marawi City Police Office.

The incident has raised concerns about the security situation in Lanao del Sur and Marawi, which have been experiencing a spate of violent incidents in recent weeks. 

“We cannot allow lawless elements and criminals to continuously run loose and disrupt the peace and order we have worked so hard to attain in the province after the Marawi Siege. I urge everyone to provide information to the Lanao del Sur Police Provincial Office that shall help them in capturing the perpetrator of this crime. Let us all be vigilant and work together to help protect our people and our communities,” read a statement from Lanao del Sur Governor Mamintal Adiong Jr.

Mustapha said investigators had suspected that the ambulance, which had no license plate, was government-owned because it was similar to the government-issued Nissan NV350 model. 

He said the motive behind the attack was still unknown, and authorities were working to find Marohombsar.

CCTV footage showed the ambulance slowing down near the victim’s stall, with one of its windows opening, and several gunshots being fired before the vehicle sped off. 

Master Sergeant Saadodin Hadjinor said Saragena was standing beside his stall when he was shot without any provocation.

The use of an ambulance as a getaway vehicle shocked and outraged residents and netizens alike.

“Ambulances are vehicles supposed to save lives, but on this occasion, it was used to (shoot) people,” said netizen Ryan Perosalim.

They said the incident should prompt officials to implement stricter regulations on emergency vehicles to prevent them from being misused. 

Neither the Gannasi town government nor the Ministry of Health in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) has issued a statement about the matter as of posting time. – Rappler.com

Ferdinandh Cabrera is an Aries Rufo Journalism fellow while Merlyn Manos is a journalist based in Iligan.

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