The Police Regional Office 10 (PRO-10) clarified statements made during a press briefing on the February 16 shooting in Barangay Tubigan, Initao, Misamis Oriental, denying that any vice mayor from Lanao del Sur was identified as a suspect.
PRO-10 said Regional Director Brig. Gen. Christopher Abrahano only described the suspect as a “political figure outside Region 10” and did not name any specific individual. The office is coordinating with its legal team over a misleading online article that attributed such a claim to the director.
The shooting left a 31-year-old woman dead and a minor injured. Police investigators said the surviving victim-witness and one unidentified cohort helped identify the suspect. Authorities said the motive was personal.
A case for murder and frustrated murder has been referred to the Office of the Prosecutor and is awaiting the issuance of legal processes.
Police records show that officers from the Initao Municipal Police Station responded at around 6:00 a.m. on February 16 after a female victim was found lifeless in Sitio Bubuntan. A wounded minor from Cagayan de Oro City was later confirmed as part of the same incident and brought to a fixed point in Libertad.
Crime scene investigators recovered two fired cartridges and three live rounds believed to be from a .380 caliber firearm. The Initao Municipal Police Station continues its investigation.
PRO-10 also announced the activation of Oplan SHIELD (Synergized Holistic Initiative for Enforcement of Law and Detection) to intensify investigations of sensitive cases in the region.
Police urged media and the public to rely on verified statements to prevent misinformation about the case.