PAGALUNGAN, Maguindanao del Sur — A father was shot dead in broad daylight after unidentified riding-in-tandem gunmen ambushed the tricycle he was riding with his wife and six-year-old son along the National Highway in Pagalungan, Maguindanao del Sur, on Saturday afternoon.
The victim was identified as Abdulhamed Hussain, an adult resident of Sitio Singko, Barangay Kudal, Pagalungan.
According to initial reports, the victim and his family were on their way home after buying supplies in the neighboring municipality of Pikit, North Cotabato. They were traveling aboard a yellow tricycle when the assailants, riding a motorcycle, suddenly approached them along the highway shortly before 4 p.m.
Without warning, the suspects opened fire on the tricycle, repeatedly hitting Hussain. He sustained multiple gunshot wounds to different parts of his body and was declared dead on the spot.
The victim’s wife and their six-year-old son survived the attack unharmed despite witnessing the fatal shooting. The gunfire caused the tricycle driver to lose control of the vehicle, sending it crashing into a roadside canal.
Authorities immediately responded to the scene and launched an investigation. Police have yet to identify the suspects or determine the motive behind the brazen attack.
Investigators are currently gathering witness statements, reviewing available evidence, and conducting follow-up operations to establish the identities of the gunmen and the circumstances surrounding the killing.
The daylight ambush has alarmed residents of Pagalungan, as the attack occurred on a busy stretch of the National Highway and in the presence of the victim’s family.
As of this writing, no arrests have been made, and authorities continue to pursue leads in an effort to bring the perpetrators to justice.