‘Gunman’ charged in Macasaet murder case

BAGUIO CITY – A complaint was filed at the Regional Trial Court here last week against the alleged gunman in the March 3 killing of Lt Col Ferdinand Macasaet y Topacio, a member of the Philippine Air Force who was assigned as head of Air Warfare Division of the Philippine Military Academy.

Task Force Macasaet conducted investigation which eventually led to the identification of the suspect whose identity was requested that it be withheld pending his arrest.

The victim’s wife, Melissa Macasaet lodged her complaint against the gunman for a case of murder as principal by direct participation on April 7, 2011.

The victim was on his way home driving his SUV Montero with Plate No. NHQ 513 when he was gunned down at Pinesville Subdivision at Fort Del Pilar.

He was pronounced dead on arrival at PMA hospital by his attending physician.

Witnesses have identified the lone gunman (identity withheld pending ongoing investigation) through a mug file as the person whom they have seen in the vicinity a few days before the incident and the same person they saw walking away from the crime scene after the shooting incident.

A computer imaging sketch was created by SOCO based on the description of the witnesses.

A background investigation of the gunman revealed that he has a pending warrant of arrest for a murder case filed by National Bureau of Investigation-Cordillera last 2009 at Regional Trial Court Branch 4 in Baguio and was also involved in another shooting incident (murder) at La Trinidad, Benguet last December 2010.

Cross matching of recovered fired empty shells (cal .45) at the scene at La Trinidad incident matched the empty shells recovered at the crime scene at Hilltop Market, Baguio City wherein a retired Philippine National Police personnel was also gunned down.

Operatives are convinced that the gunman was a hired killer considering his involvement in a series of killings.

The Task Force is still waiting for the issuance of arrest warrant by the concerned court in order to neutralize the suspect while they continue conducting a rigid investigation to establish the motive and identify personalities behind the incident which they believe only the gunman can divulge once arrested.