Exactly three days short a year ago when another drug personality was gunned down in the vicinity of the Halls of Justice, another victim fell to a “professional hit job” in the same area Wednesday. The latest fatality was identified as Antonio Salutan y Poquita, 47, married and a resident of Loreto, Cortes town. He was killed while walking from the Halls of Justice where he attended a hearing for at least two drug cases. He was on the way to take a ride along CPG North Avenue particularly near the Bohol Wisdom School. Out on bail for P240,000 for violations of drug possession and paraphernalia, the victim was represented in the two cases by lawyer Alexander Lim. According to his legal counsel, every time they attended a hearing of the drug cases, the accused normally took a ride in the lawyer’s vehicle. That fateful day, the victim decided to go ahead and chose to walk the distance to the national highway. His lawyer attended another hearing delaying their trip together to be in the same vehicle.

According to eyewitnesses, the victim was walking along an access road from the Halls of Justice lined up from both sides with G-melina trees when a gunman approached him and fired the killer shot. The gun man was seen to have another companion on board a Suzuki motorcycle. Two slugs of 99 mm and three empty slugs were recovered in the crime scene. The victim took a bullet in his left chest and a grazing wound in the hand. The victim managed to run away to a nearby rest room and the gun man pursued him to finish him off only to back off as bystanders began came rushing to the crime scene. Salutan was rushed immediately to the Gallares Memorial Hospital but an hour later he expired. The victim’s brush with the law was his second but this time he was not as lucky as it cost his life. The first time he was indicted for drug charges he was acquitted for lack of evidence. That was in August 2006 when then Regional Court Judge Baudillo Dosdos found him innocent of the crime charged.

MANHUNT

Following the hit job which was believed to be perpetrated by hired killers, a manhunt was mounted by elite operatives of the Bohol Philippine National Police. According to Supt. Arcadio Jamora, Jr., city police chief, investigators are zeroing in on possible angles that could lead to the solution of the crime. Police are looking into reports that the victim was killed apparently due to transactions involving non-remittance of drug sales. The victim according to several sources was said to have a remittance shortage from his supplier to something like P200,000.

1 YEAR AGO

One year ago, or to be exact on August 6, the vicinity of the Halls of Justice was the scene of another gangland style execution also involving a prominent drug personality. Just like in the latest incident, drug double cross was also eyed in the killing of Alexander Romero y Mendez of barangay Cantumucad, Buenavista town. The killing a year ago remained unsolved as of press time last night. Until the latest death toll that took the life of a high value target Wednesday, police are still looking for leads leading to the arrest of the hired gun and its mastermind.