TAGUM CITY, Davao del Norte — Justice is being sought by the grieving family and friends of 17-year-old Erwin Legaspi, who was brutally shot dead in the early morning hours of July 8, 2025, while working in the bagsakan (unloading area) of the Tagum City Public Market.
According to reports from the Tagum City Police Station, the incident happened at around 3:00 AM in the vegetable section of the public market in Barangay Magugpo West. CCTV footage captured the moment Legaspi, a resident of Lopez Compound in Barangay Mankilam, was busy arranging vegetables when an unidentified man wearing a white t-shirt and cap suddenly approached and shot him at close range before fleeing the scene.
Witnesses, including vendor Jesus Guirigay, recounted seeing the suspect walk up to the unsuspecting victim and immediately fire shots before escaping toward an unknown direction. Some bystanders tried to help, but the young man succumbed to gunshot wounds sustained in the lower part of his jaw.
Investigators from the Davao del Norte Provincial Forensic Unit recovered two spent shells believed to have come from a .45 caliber pistol at the scene.
Tagum City Police Officer-in-Charge PLTCOL. Frederick Deles revealed that two possible motives are currently being pursued. First, the victim was allegedly linked to a group involved in tampering with a vendo machine inside the market, suggesting a retaliation angle. The second line of investigation involves a potential conflict between rival youth groups or gangs.
Authorities have launched a hot pursuit and dragnet operation to identify and arrest the suspect. As of press time, the perpetrator remains at large.
Police are calling on individuals who may have information about the shooter’s identity to come forward to aid the investigation. The community, still shocked by the brutal killing, is joining the victim’s family in demanding swift justice.