2 Wounded in Basilan Drive-By Shooting; Political Motive Not Ruled Out

LAMITAN CITY, Basilan — An intended target was shot while another man was hit by a stray bullet Friday night when gunmen on a motorcycle opened fire, police said. Efren Salahuddin Custodio, a resident of Barangay Maganda, was hit in the leg at around 7:20 p.m. in Sitio Riverside, Barangay Matibay. The intended target, Halid Dompol Mujanil, 32, a businessman and resident of Barangay Matibay, was shot in the stomach, according to Police Lt. Col. Janz Vladimir Hilarion, chief of the Lamitan City Police Station. Police said two unidentified suspects riding a Yamaha Aerox motorcycle arrived at the area and opened fire at Mujanil. Custodio, who happened to be passing through the area, was hit by stray gunfire. The suspects fled toward an unknown direction after the shooting. Responding police officers led by Hilarion brought the two victims to the nearest hospital for treatment. Police launched hot pursuit and dragnet operations in coordination with neighboring law enforcement units to locate the suspects. Scene of the Crime Operatives also processed the shooting scene for evidence. Hilarion said investigators were still determining the motive and had not ruled out the possibility that the shooting was politically motivated. “This is just an isolated incident, and we are still verifying if this is an election-related incident. We are still conducting a validation for that,” Hilarion said. He assured residents that security forces were stepping up efforts to maintain peace and order, particularly with the elections approaching. “The citizens of Lamitan have nothing to worry about because we in the PNP and AFP are doubling our efforts to ensure a safe and secure election here in Lamitan City. We do this not only for the elections, but as part of our daily commitment to prevent this kind of incident in Lamitan,” he said. Authorities have yet to identify the suspects or establish the motive for the shooting. INQ