Ramon Magsaysay, Zamboanga del Sur — A 42-year-old local government employee was brutally gunned down inside her own home by three unidentified assailants armed with high-powered firearms in Barangay Poblacion, Ramon Magsaysay, on Friday night, November 7, 2025.
The victim, identified as Sandy Dimpas, a resident and employee of the Ramon Magsaysay local government unit, was watching television when the armed suspects suddenly entered their residence and opened fire without warning.
According to the police report, Dimpas sustained a fatal gunshot wound to the right side of her face that exited through her ear. Her husband, who was in another part of the house, rushed to the living room after hearing multiple gunshots and found his wife bloodied and unresponsive.
She was immediately brought to Blancia Hospital in Molave, but was declared dead on arrival by attending physicians.
Investigators from the Ramon Magsaysay Municipal Police Station recovered 16 empty shells from an M16 assault rifle and three spent cartridges from a .45-caliber pistol approximately 80 to 100 meters from the crime scene — evidence that underscores the use of high-powered military-grade weapons in the attack.
Witnesses told authorities that the suspects fled the scene on foot toward Barangay Wakat, firing their weapons into the air as they escaped before boarding a motorcycle that sped off in an unknown direction.
Police have launched a hot pursuit operation and established blocking points in surrounding areas to intercept the gunmen, while forensic experts from the Zamboanga del Sur Forensic Unit are conducting ballistic examinations on the recovered evidence.
Authorities are still determining the motive behind the brazen killing, which has shocked the quiet municipality. The use of an M16 rifle and .45-caliber pistol inside a residential area has also raised alarm among residents and prompted local officials to call for tighter security and faster resolution of the case.
Police investigators continue to gather leads to identify the suspects and bring justice to the victim, who was known to be a dedicated government worker in the community.