A 58-year-old teacher was wounded after being shot by still unidentified gunmen in front of Cotabato State University along Sinsuat Avenue in Barangay Rosary Heights 4, Cotabato City before noon on Sunday, May 10.
The victim was identified by authorities as Faisal Ura Usop, married, a teacher, and a resident of ND Village in Barangay Rosary Heights 8.
Based on the initial investigation conducted by Police Station 2 of the Cotabato City Police Office, the incident occurred around 11:25 a.m. while the victim was reportedly heading home aboard his Toyota Hilux and traversing Sinsuat Avenue.
Investigators said two unidentified armed men riding tandem on a blue Honda Click motorcycle suddenly appeared and positioned themselves beside the driver’s side of the victim’s vehicle before opening fire without warning.
Usop sustained gunshot wounds on the left side of his neck, upper left chest, and left shoulder. Despite his injuries, he survived the attack and was immediately rushed to the Cotabato Regional and Medical Center for emergency treatment.
Following the shooting, the suspects quickly fled toward an undetermined direction, triggering an immediate response from authorities.
Personnel of Police Station 2, led by Police Captain Anuar M. Mambatao, responded to the scene after receiving a report from a concerned citizen around 11:30 a.m.
The Regional Forensic Unit-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (RFU-BAR) also conducted crime scene processing and recovered two spent shell casings believed to have been fired from a caliber .45 pistol.
In the aftermath of the attack, police implemented lockdown protocols and coordinated with nearby border control and visibility points in an effort to track down and intercept the fleeing suspects.
Authorities are continuing a deeper investigation to determine both the identities of the gunmen and the motive behind the brazen daylight ambush, which occurred in a busy area near the university campus and alarmed residents and motorists in the area.