Retired Us Soldier Shot Dead In Cebu

[Malcolm Graham]

Saw this thought people may be interested.  I saw it the day it happened but there was a problem with Grace's family which needed sorting so I forgot to post

 

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/regions/06/27/14/retired-us-soldier-shot-dead-cebu

 

CEBU - A retired American soldier was shot dead outside his home in Sitio Poo, Barangay Balod, Dalaguete on Thursday afternoon.

The victim was identified as Stephen Ray Gornto.

According to Gornto's wife, Dahlia, they were outside their home waiting for a mechanic to fix their car when the shooting occurred.

Dahlia said a motorcycle-riding man wearing a helmet suddenly stopped in front of them and shot her husband.

Police are investigating if the killing of Gornto was related to the fight that he had with a British national last Saturday.

Police said they went to the house of the British national, but the latter was nowhere to be found.

 

http://www.philstar.com/cebu-news/2014/06/28/1340017/personal-grudge-eyed-ex-us-soldier-shot-dead-dalaguete

 

CEBU, Philippines - A retired member of a US special forces branch succumbed to multiple gunshot wounds in different parts of his body after he was gunned down by an assailant in front of his rented house in Sitio Poo, Barangay Balud, Dalaguete town, past 5 p.m. Thursday.

Stephen Ray Gornto, 53, married to Dahlia Gornto, of Tacosalma, Tarlac, was killed instantly after being shot several times.

He was rushed to the Julio Cardinal Rosales Memorial Hospital in Barangay Poblacion but was declared dead on arrival.

For now police are eyeing personal grudge as the motive behind the killing as Gornto had a fistfight with British national Andrew Featherstonehaugh, 53, of Barangay Manangal last week.

“We are not pinpointing Featherstonehaugh but he was out of the country since Monday, which also added to our suspicion,” Inspector Rico Emperwa, Dalaguete police chief, said adding that the wife of Featherstonehaugh was also no longer around when they conducted a follow-up investigation.

Just before he was shot, Gornto was standing outside his rented house waiting for a car dealer representative for a business transaction when the assailant arrived on board a Yamaha Mio motorcycle and shot the victim several times.

Freeman ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch:
Witnesses said the assailant man was wearing helmet, short cargo pants and a white sweatshirt at the time.

Emperwa said that assailant speed off towards Argao town after the incident.

Scene of the Crime Operatives of the Cebu Provincial Police Office inspected the scene and found 13 empty shells and a slug of unknown caliber.

Police said the way of the killing was executed, it appears to have been done by a hired killer.

Gornto’s cadaver was taken to the Lagahid Funeral Homes in Alcoy town for autopsy.

Personal grudge

Emperwa told The FREEMAN that Gornto had a fistfight with Featherstonehaugh at Charito’s Dalaguete Bar and Grill in Barangay Poblacion in which Featherstonehaugh suffered injury in his right ear after he was allegedly hit with a sharp object by Gornto.

Before the fight both had an argument when they were both drunk.

But Gornto reportedly denied that he hit Featherstonehaugh with anything, he reasoned that Featherstonehaugh accidentally injured himself with his fingers during their fight.

The two later agreed to settle the matter at the police station and admitted a miscommunication had caused the fight.

Emperwa further said that Gornto arrived in Cebu two months ago and said that it was unusual that he could have an enemy in a short span of time.

“Kitang mga Pinoy di man kaayo ta manginlabot if dunay foreigner nga manuyo unya ang mga foreigner dili man sad ingon ana nga ma-involve na og lunod-patay nga kalagot bisan duha pa lang ka buwan,” Emperwa explained.

In Dalaguete, Gornto stayed in rented a house owned by Christian Akse while Featherstonehaugh has his own house in the town.

“Kanang naay mga event dali ra kaayo na siya maka-extend og monetary support like P300,000,” the police chief said.

It was the sudden disappearance of the couple that intrigued the police.

The Provincial Intelligence Branch sent a team yesterday to assist the Dalaguete police in the investigation.

Superintendent Rodulfo Albotra Jr., PIB chief, said they are now eyeing local gun-for-hire personalities. They are also looking into different angles in their investigation which he refused to disclose as of yet.

[jon1]

You would think that after all of his time in the military that he would have known better than to get in a fist fight in a 3rd world country bar.  That has to be some kind of record for the shortest retirement in the PI.

 

Seeing how the court system doesn't work over here, I doubt that it will ever be solved enough to result in a conviction of the person who ordered the hit.

 

I hope that he had all of his affairs in order for his wife. But then again, the above activities doesn't sound like he was very smart.

[Gerald Glatt]

@ least the shooter was wearing a helmet 

[Americano]

"Retired Us Soldier Shot Dead In Cebu."  In Cebu or on Cebu Island?

Dalaguete is a long ways from Cebu City.

[Malcolm Graham]

I thought Cebu refers to the Island and if you are writing about the city its Cebu city.  But then people living on Cebu probably just say Cebu when talking about the city.

[sonjack2847]

There is nothing there about the beating he (The American) gave to a German not so long ago. Perhaps the police should look at that. The brit is not 53 and they should not have named him. In the last 8 days 4 people here in the town have been shot dead. I did write more but after some thought deleted it.

1) Only believe half of what you see.

2) Don`t believe anything you hear.

3) Above all take your time when making decisions.

[Jack Peterson]

3) Above all take your time when making decisions.

 

 

 

 

I did write more but after some thought deleted it.

 

 

:thumbsup:  Good decision on both, as we have a beer meet next week, I would not have liked, to stare at an empty chair all afternoon. :no: if you get my Drift :rolleyes:

 

 

  :tiphat:

[Thomas]

There is nothing there about the beating he (The American) gave to a German not so long ago.

Yes. If someone have barfight with one/two, it's big chance he have had that with several...