MANILA — The guns used to murder a couple in a bus in Nueva Ecija had been used in past killings, the Philippine National Police said Tuesday.
Police Col. Jean Fajardo, PNP spokesperson, said this was based on the cross-matching and ballistics examination of slugs recovered at the crime scene.
"Itong mga baril na ito ay ginamit sa 3 previous shooting incidents: 1 sa Isabela at 2 sa Nueva Ecija," Fajardo told reporters at Camp Crame in Quezon City.
(These guns were used in 3 previous shooting incidents. 1 in Isabela and 2 in Nueva Ecija.)
She said the suspects in the previous shootings may have been the same people who killed two business owners who were riding in a Victory Liner bus in Carranglan, Nueva Ecija on November 15.
Footage of the incident showed that the two assailants, who had been sitting towards the back of the bus, stood up up, approached the victims and shot them at close range.
They then told the driver to stop the buss and got off.
The victims reportedly boarded the bus in Cauayan City, Isabela, while the gunmen boarded in Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya.
The PNP suspects that the men who shot and killed the two passengers were hired guns.
“What I can assure you, confident tayo na in the coming days, may breakthrough sa kasong ito,” Fajardo also said.
(We are confident that we will see a breakthrough in the coming days.)