• RICHARD T. CABALLERO JR.
Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) Director PCol. Joeresty Coronica disclosed yesterday that the assailant who gunned down Romie Li, the owner of a hardware store and a contractor supplier who was killed while opening his store at Bonifacio Street, Barangay 12, Bacolod City, on Tuesday, is allegedly a gun for hire.
The city police have a photograph of the alleged gun for hire, which was shown to witnesses to help identify the assailant. Several witnesses who were in the area during the incident have recognized the assailant from the photo.
Further information from the police revealed that the suspected assassin has a standing warrant of arrest for the crime of attempted homicide and for violating Republic Act 10591, or the illegal possession of firearms and ammunition.
“The assailant was detained in 2023 but was bailed out. However, the hearings are ongoing, but he was not able to show himself before the court, so the warrant was issued,” Coronica said.
Coronica further clarified that the suspect’s pending warrant of arrest was also issued in Bacolod City.
Based on the accounts of the witnesses, the suspect had been loitering in the area before Li’s arrival, indicating that the killing was well-planned. It was reported that the assailant was with his companion, who was driving an old-model Montero Sport SUV without a plate number that served as their getaway vehicle.
Police believed that the assailant had already left the city.
HOLLOW-POINT BULLET
Coronica revealed during the press conference that the bullet used to assassinate Li was not an ordinary bullet.
Based on the investigation of the police, a slug of a ‘special hollow-point bullet’ was recovered from the head of the victim, which resulted in his immediate death. Coronica said that this was the first time in his tenure that such a bullet was used in such a crime in Bacolod City.
The police recovered two spent shells of ammunition from the unidentified firearm. One of which hit the back of the head of the victim while the other misfired.
“That kind of bullet was obviously used to make sure that the victim was killed,” Coronica said.
MOTIVE
The police are currently looking into the possibility that the motive behind the death of Li was related to his hardware business and as a contractor supplier.
Police Capt. Francis Depasucat, commander of Police Station 1, disclosed that Li, who was a civil engineer by profession, was a contractor, and also supplied materials and equipment to other contractors. However, they were not certain if the contracts of Li were under the government or private sector.
“Once you are a supplier, you are directly engaged in contracts to provide materials,” Depasucat said.
The police probers will investigate the contracts and other transactions where Li was involved for the progress of the case. Police Station 1 is set to meet with the victim’s family to determine if they have other businesses aside from hardware to determine if the motives behind the killing were business-related or a personal grudge.
“There could be someone behind this killing. That is what we need to dig deeper into, and we will also coordinate with Li’s family for more details if he has other businesses,” Coronica said as the investigation is still underway.*
