It was just a normal day for passersby in front of the University Courtyard at La Salle Avenue, Bacolod City, yesterday until a security guard and a motorist fired their guns against each other.

Witnesses said that they heard a gunshot at about 1:20 p.m. and later saw a wounded Antonio Villanueva, Jr., 55, of Oasis Subdivision, Brgy. Mansilingan, Bacolod, hurriedly get inside his Honda Civic car and drive away from the area.

Station 4 policemen led by Police Officer 3 Jun Regalado arrived at the area and arrested Security Guard Jose Pelegro, 48, of Hacienda San Isidro, Cadiz City, Negros Occidental.

The Police also seized Pelegro’s service firearm, a.38 caliber revolver with five bullets in it but Villanueva’s .45 caliber pistol was not retrieved, Senior Insp. Dianne Grace Aquitania, Station 4 chief, said.

Initial investigation conducted by Police Officer 3 Rey Escañan showed that Pelegro, employed by the Pax Security Agency and assigned at the University Courtyard, and Villanueva argued over a parking space at the food park and this led to the shootout.

Aquitania said they are looking into the reports that Villanueva, was the first to draw his firearm and fire at Pelegro. However, his gun malfunctioned, and the security guard retaliated, hitting him in the abdomen. An empty cartridge of a .38 caliber revolver and a deformed slug of a .45 caliber pistol were recovered from the crime scene.

She said that they are also verifying reports that Villanueva is a policeman.

Villanueva is now confined at the Pablo O. Torre Memorial Hospital while Pelegro is detained at Police Station 4.*APN

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