Sunday, October 25, 2009

Teenager shot dead in gang war

MANILA, Philippines -- A 15-year-old boy was shot and killed Saturday evening allegedly by members of two rival teenage street gangs in Manila.
Arnold Pantaleon, reportedly a member of the Young Trouble Maker (YTM) gang, of M. Hizon Street in Sta. Cruz, was declared dead on arrival by attending doctors at the Jose Reyes Memorial Medical Center (JRMMC) from a bullet wound in the chest.
Manila Police District (MPD) homicide section personnel have fanned out to hunt two suspects, identified only as an “Alvin” and a certain “Brando,” aged 16 and 17, who are reportedly members of the Batang Malabon Gang and the Tropang Kulet, who immediately fled after the shooting.
PO3 Jay Santos, case investigator, said the shooting happened at around 7:30 pm, Saturday, in front of a building at 1844 Oroquieta Street in Sta. Cruz, while Pantaleon was walking along the sidewalk to fetch his girlfriend from a friend’s house.
Santos said Pantaleon was approached by Brando, the 17-year-old member of the Tropang Kulet, who briefly chatted with him. The ploy, the case investigator stressed, seemed to have been a diversionary tactic as the 16-year-old member of the Batang Malabon Gang appeared a few minutes after.
Armed with a gun, Alvin shot Pantaleon in the left side of the chest. Alvin and Brando then fled after the 15-year-old boy fell bloodied on the pavement.
Although badly injured, Pantaleon was able to seek the help of bystanders who brought him to the nearest hospital where he later died.Homicide investigators are conducting follow-up operations to determine the motive for the assault and to arrest the suspects.

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