The Davao Death Squad

Vigilante-style attacks attributed to the Davao Death Squad (DDS) have resumed here and in other parts of southern Mindanao since August, claiming the lives of at least 22 more victims, officials said.

The situation is “disturbing,” State Prosecutor Antonio Arellano said. Fifteen cases have been reported in August and seven others in just four days of this month alone, he said.

Since 1998, more than 900 people, including those with criminal records and juvenile offenders, have been victims of unexplained killings in Davao City.

THE REPORT CONTINUES TO TALK ABOUT HOW THE VICTIMS WERE EXECUTED

In nearby Digos City, the latest victim was a young unidentified male, possibly a minor, whose body was dumped in a grassy area of Purok Catleya in Barangay Tiguman at around 5 a.m. on Wednesday.

Chief Insp. Anthony Padua, Digos police chief, placed the victim’s age at 15 or 17 years. “He was stabbed at least 17 times in the head, neck, back, arms and belly,” he said.

In the late 1990s, the killers rode on motorcycles and gunned down their victims, most of whom were known to be gang members and illegal drug peddlers. But recently, the killings were done by stabbing.

Some victims were murdered just minutes after their release from prison, while others were executed days after they committed a crime.

In some cases, the DDS warned families of would-be victims.

READ THE COMPLETE REPORT AT:
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20090911-224645/Davao-Death-Squad-22-more-victims

Masked Gunman

A 27-year-old man was shot dead by a masked gunman here on Wednesday evening, raising suspicion that a copycat of the shadowy vigilante group blamed for the deaths of at least 900 people in Southern Mindanao since 1990s has become active anew.

Al Amen Magarang Abdullah was playing computer games inside an Internet café along First Crumb St. here around 9:30 p.m. when the gunman arrived with another companion and shot him dead, Chief Inspector Anthony Padua, city police director, said.

Quoting witnesses, Padua said the gunman casually entered the Internet café' and shot Magarang. He said the gunman left without a fuss and fled onboard the motorcycle driven by his companion. He said the victim died instantly.

Police investigators said they recovered two slugs and two spent shells of a .45 caliber pistol from the crime scene.

Some residents, who spoke to the Philippine Daily Inquirer, said Abdullah's death could be the handiwork of the so-called Digos Death Squad.

READ THE COMPLETE REPORT AT:

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/regions/view/20090723-216895/Man-shot-dead-in-Internet-caf-in-Digos

Motorcycle Hitmen

This past year, I've noticed increasing reports about motorcycle-riding gunmen. I was surprised to find out that... "Of the 424 crimes reported, 156 were robberies in the form of hold-ups and snatchings. A total 150 of these crimes involved shootings, including 50 murders." And this was from a report file in the middle of the year. FULL REPORT HERE.

Today, the Inquirer reported a very unusual motorcycle related crime: "Six men on board motorcycles gunned down a still unidentified man along Commonwealth Avenue, just outside the University of the Philippines Diliman campus in Quezon City on Sunday. Initial investigation showed that at around 4:33 p.m. Sunday, the victim was standing on a center island on Commonwealth Avenue, just in front of the UP Asian Institute of Tourism, when the six men drove by." FULL REPORT HERE.

I also remember similar shootings reported, wherein people were just shot on the street and they weren't robbed. I'm trying to track down those reports, but from what I recall, the victims were ordinary people with ordinary jobs.

They were not politicians or people who carried a lot of money. The motorcycle gunmen, just rode up next to them, shot them, and drove away.

How strange.