Datu Paglas, Maguindanao del Sur (BARMM) – Two men were fatally shot by unidentified suspects on Sunday morning, December 8, 2024, at around 9:48 AM in Sitio Pagcorp, Datu Paglas.
The victims were identified by the Datu Paglas Municipal Police Station (MPS) as Kamaro Guiamadin Balulao, of legal age and a resident of Barangay Paytan, Mangudadatu, Maguindanao del Sur, and Kasan Makmod Sulayman, 65, married, and a resident of Purok 3, Barangay Dunguan, Mlang, North Cotabato.
According to initial reports from the Datu Paglas MPS, a concerned citizen called authorities to report a shooting incident in the area. Police immediately responded to the scene.
The investigation revealed that the victims were traveling along a road leading to Datu Paglas and Barangay Sisiman, Lutayan, Sultan Kudarat, when they stopped to refuel their vehicle using bottled gasoline. As they were refueling, unknown suspects approached and opened fire on them. One victim was struck in the head and mouth, while the other sustained multiple gunshot wounds, causing their instant deaths.
The suspects quickly fled the scene after the attack. Authorities recovered several spent 5.56mm bullet casings from the crime scene.
As of this writing, the Datu Paglas MPS has launched a hot pursuit operation to track down the suspects while the investigation into the motive and identities of the perpetrators continues.
Further updates on this incident will be released as more information becomes available.