A man believed to have been deported from the United States of America was shot dead around yesterday afternoon in Dumaguete City in what is perceived to be another illegal drugs-related case.

The victim, identified as Carl Anthony Vincoy Cheng, 33, single, a resident of Batinguel, Dumaguete City, succumbed to multiple gunshot wounds and was declared dead on arrival at the Holy Child Hospital, Supt. James Goforth, city police chief, said.

Cheng was riding a motorcab-for-hire, or pedicab, from Batinguel en route to Lee Plaza Hypermart in Barangay Bagacay when two men, riding in tandem on a motorcycle, rode up to them and opened fire, investigators said.

He is the fifth shooting victim in Dumaguete in separate incidents in the past two weeks and is the second gunned down this month in the city, Goforth said. The three other victims survived.

Police investigation revealed that the shooting of Cheng could be related to illegal drugs.Police recovered a plastic sachet believed to contain shabu, Goforth said.

Police investigators also retrieved at least five spent shells of .45 caliber pistol from the crime scene that is right across a gasoline station in Barangay Taclobo.

Goforth said that, based on investigation, Cheng had been deported from the U.S. allegedly for an illegal drugs case.

A relative of Cheng told reporters the victim had returned to Dumaguete about two years ago.

The driver of the pedicab told reporters he could not ascertain when the suspects started following them.

Another passenger was in the pedicab with the driver at the time but their identities are being withheld for safety reasons.

The driver said Cheng asked to be taken to the Hypermart shopping center while the other passenger, already in the pedicab, was going to the boulevard.

A few meters away from the gasoline station, the driver said he heard at least four gunshots before realizing that one of his passengers was hit.

Cheng, who was seated on the far right of the pedicab, reportedly jumped off but when he fell on the road, the gunman fired at him again, witnesses said.

The other passenger, who was a deaf, and the driver were unscathed but the passenger seat was hit.

Goforth said the two suspects fled northward.

The police are now reviewing video clips from the closed-circuit television security cameras at the nearby gasoline station hopefully to get leads on the suspects.*JFP

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