The driver of former Pangasinan Governor Amado Espino Jr. has died from gunshot wounds he suffered during an ambush by up to 10 suspects in San Carlos City last Wednesday, police said Friday.
Agapito Quizon died at 6:10 p.m. Thursday at the Blessed Family Doctors General Hospital in San Carlos City, Pangasinan, Police Lt. Col. Mary Crystal Peralta, spokesperson of Ilocos Police Regional Office, said in a press conference.
Peralta said the Regional Special Investigation Task Group “Espino Jr.” has identified the registered owners of the abandoned blue Ford Everest and red Ford Hyundai Elantra believed to have been used as the suspects’ getaway vehicles.
Peralta said police have invited the owners of the vehicles—one man and one woman—for questioning but said they still needed to validate the information.
“They have nothing to fear if they have clear conscience. Besides, there’s always a due process,” the officer said.
Police recovered the Ford Everest in Barangay Pasima, Malasiqui, while the Hyundai Elantra was found in Barangay Cobol, San Carlos City in a follow-up operation.
The vehicles must have been abandoned by the suspects, who managed to escape, police added.
They found one fragmentation hand grenade, two M14 rifles, magazines for M14 rifle, an M16 rifle, a baby armalite, and three magazines for M16 rifles inside the Ford.
Two baby Armalites, an M16, five short magazines and four long magazines for the M16, and 34 live ammunition for the rifle were discovered inside the Hyundai. They were turned over to the PNP crime laboratory for ballistics examination.
The vehicles were also subjected to macroetching examination to determine whether they were carnapped and their vehicle parts tampered, Peralta added.
Authorities were still looking for the third getaway vehicle, a black Toyota Wigo, where the ambush lookouts were believed to have boarded.
Espino was on board a Toyota Land Cruiser driven by Quizon and escorted by Police Staff Sergeant Jayson Masli when the gunmen attacked at an intersection in Barangay Magtaking, San Carlos City on Wednesday.
The former governor was hit in the left stomach and right arm. The gunmen also fired at the convoy vehicle of Espino driven by Anthony Columbino and escorted by Police Staff Sergeant Richard Esguerra and security aide Kevin Marbori.
Esguerra died on the spot to multiple gunshot wounds, while Marbori was also hit. Columbino escaped unscathed.
Espino and the wounded were already in stable condition as of Friday morning, Peralta said.