9 arrested for alleged indiscriminate shooting in Manila

Nine suspects were arrested earlier today in Malate, Manila for allegedly indiscriminately firing a gun.

The suspects were identified as Anjo Padilla, 27; Jeffrey Mendoza, 32; Luilius Doliente, 30; Mark Jay Dominguez Espiritu, 29; Buecan Morillo, 23; Wendell de Guzman, 24; Marc Senez, 21; and two minors, Manila Police District (MPD) Station 9’s PO1 Grejaldo told Coconuts Manila through a phone interview. He requested to only be identified by his last name.

They were allegedly intoxicated when Espiritu started firing the gun at around 6:40am, the police’s report says.

A CCTV footage obtained by ABS-CBN News’ DZMM shows the suspects’ three vehicles: a yellow car in front, a black car in the middle, and a red car at the back, all of which were stopped at the M.H. del Pilar St., corner Aldecoa St. in Malate.

Espiritu can be seen getting out of the yellow vehicle while one of his companions also got out of the black car.

It is unclear why Espiritu approached the vehicle behind the three cars, but when he and his companion were on their way back to their respective cars, he pulled out a gun out and started firing repeatedly, at no one in particular.

The other suspects were inside the cars. They were on their way home, according to the police report.

Only Espiritu allegedly fired the gun, the report added. It’s still unclear why he did.

The police responded to the incident after receiving a call from a concerned citizen and apprehended the suspects, Remate reported.

Authorities seized a black 26-caliber Glock gun and retrieved 12 empty bullet shells at the scene.

The suspects and their vehicles are currently at the MPD Station 9.

Grejaldo said that all suspects are under police custody. The seven adult suspects will undergo drug tests, while the two minors still need to present their birth certificates to authorities. If proven that they are underaged, they will be transferred to the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

He added that they still need to determine who among the suspects will face the multiple charges of illegal possession of firearms, alarm, and scandal, and for violating the Omnibus Election Code, which implements a strict gun ban.