UNGKAYA PUKAN, Basilan — Two unidentified men were shot dead by armed assailants who intercepted them while they were traveling on a motorcycle along a road in Barangay Tong Bato, Ungkaya Pukan, Basilan, on Saturday morning, October 10, police reported.
The shooting occurred at approximately 11:10 a.m., according to the initial spot report of the Ungkaya Pukan Municipal Police Station (MPS). The victims were reportedly flagged down by unidentified armed men who then repeatedly fired at them using an M16 rifle.
Both victims sustained fatal gunshot wounds and died at the scene, based on the initial police account.
After the attack, the gunmen fled aboard a motorcycle toward an undetermined direction, prompting authorities to launch a pursuit operation to locate and apprehend those responsible.
Police personnel led by PCPT Adonis D. Lucaben, chief of police of Ungkaya Pukan MPS, immediately responded to the incident after receiving information from Hadjing Sabdain, chairman of Barangay Cabangalan. Members of the Regional Mobile Force Battalion 14B also assisted in the response.
The identities of the two victims, both adult males, remained unconfirmed as of the initial report. Authorities are continuing efforts to establish their identities and determine the circumstances that led to the fatal shooting.
Their remains were brought to the Ungkaya Pukan Rural Health Unit for medico-legal examination as part of the investigation.
Meanwhile, police investigators are conducting a crime scene investigation to gather evidence, reconstruct the sequence of events, and establish how the attack unfolded. Authorities have also initiated a hot-pursuit operation against the fleeing suspects.
The motive behind the killing has yet to be determined. Investigators have not disclosed whether the victims were specifically targeted or whether the attack was connected to any prior dispute.
Police have yet to release further details about the identities of the suspects and their possible whereabouts.
The investigation remains ongoing as authorities work to identify the victims, establish the circumstances surrounding the shooting, and bring the perpetrators to justice.