Balikbayan killed in shooting incident in Ilocos Norte

A 56-year-old balikbayan from Hawaii was killed after he was shot multiple times by unidentified assailants along a provincial road in Barangay Aring, Badoc, Ilocos Norte on Wednesday afternoon, 27 May.

Police identified the victim as Romeo Fernandez Andres Jr., married, a balikbayan from Honolulu, Hawaii, who was temporarily staying in Barangay Aring, Badoc, Ilocos Norte.

According to the Badoc Municipal Police Station, a report regarding the shooting incident was received from a concerned citizen at around 5:56 p.m.

Investigation disclosed that the victim was walking eastward along the provincial road with his wife, Melicia Tabuyo Andres, 61, also a balikbayan from Honolulu, Hawaii, when two unidentified suspects riding a motorcycle approached from the opposite direction.

The suspects allegedly fired multiple shots at the victim, hitting him in different parts of the body, before fleeing westward while carrying the firearm used in the attack.

Responding personnel rushed the victim to the Rural Health Unit in Badoc before he was transferred to Corpuz Clinic and Hospital in Sinait, Ilocos Sur for further medical treatment. However, attending physician Dr. Manny Rhoel Allan Bumanglag declared the victim dead on arrival.

The Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO) team of the Ilocos Norte Provincial Forensic Unit processed the crime scene and recovered four fired cartridges from a caliber .45 firearm. Swabbed blood stains were also collected as part of the investigation.

Police said the motive behind the shooting has yet to be determined, while authorities continue efforts to identify and arrest the suspects.