ZAMBOANGA CITY — The Zamboanga City Police on Monday reported that a barangay chieftain in Zamboanga Sibugay town and his brother — a former town councilor — died after they were shot by a traffic policeman along San Jose Gusu here on Sunday night.

Zamboanga City Police Station-11 chief P/Maj. Albin Cabayacruz identified the slain victims as Jul-Asmad Anjawang y Mawajil, the incumbent chairman of Barangay Pamansaan, Mabuhay, Zamboanga Sibugay province and his brother Jamar Anjawang y Mawajil, a former councilor of Mabuhay town.

He added that the wounded were identified as Ibrahim Nasta, reportedly a Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit member and Haibir Nasta, an aspiring kagawad for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections scheduled on 30 October.

Initial reports disclosed that the victims — together with their family — were aboard a black Hi-Lux vehicle and stopped at San Jose Gusu to buy grilled fish when the incident happened.

Police said that two gunmen on board an orange Toyota Wigo alighted from the car and approached the victims and opened fire at the Anjawang brothers.

During a follow-up operation, police were able to arrest the primary suspect in the shooting incident at Comet Street in Barangay Tumaga.

Authorities identified the suspect as P/Staff Sargent Basir Hamid, a resident of Comet Street and assigned to the Zamboanga City Traffic Enforcement Unit here.

His cohort, a pedicab driver, was able to escape arrest and is now the subject of a police manhunt. According to a relative of the victims, Hamid is the brother of a candidate for village chief in Pamansaan.

During investigations, Hamid disclosed that the incident was a result of a 34-hectare land dispute between the victim's family and their family in Pamansaan.

Hamid was brought to ZCPS-11 for booking and to undergo a Paraffin Examination while his firearm will be submitted to the Regional Forensic Unit for ballistics examination. His mobile phone will also be forwarded for Digital Forensic Examination.