WHAT WAS supposed to be a day of celebration turned into a highway ambush after a new graduate was repeatedly shot by unidentified perpetrators just moments after his college graduation ceremony on Thursday afternoon, June 25.
The victim survived the attack and is currently in stable condition at the Davao de Oro Provincial Hospital (DDOPH)-Pantukan, despite sustaining four gunshot wounds across different parts of his body.
Initial reports from the Pantukan Municipal Police Station, under the Davao de Oro Police Provincial Office, revealed that the shooting transpired at around 12:40 p.m. along the National Highway in Purok Gemelina, Barangay Kingking, Pantukan.
According to investigators, the victim and his family had just left the graduation venue at the Kolehiyo ng Pantukan. They were about to board their yellow Suzuki minivan parked along the highway when a gray minivan with no license plate suddenly pulled up beside them.
Without warning or any apparent altercation, the occupants of the gray vehicle opened fire, repeatedly shooting the victim at close range. The suspects immediately sped off in an unknown direction following the attack.
Responding police personnel recovered four fired cartridge cases and one spent bullet at the active crime scene, all matching a .45-caliber firearm.
The Pantukan MPS has launched a hot pursuit operation and a deeper investigation to determine the motive behind the daylight ambush and to identify the fleeing suspects.
Local authorities are also appealing to any motorists with dashboard camera footage near Barangay Kingking at the time of the incident to come forward.
