A 15-year-old student was killed while nine others were wounded when an undetermined number of armed men ambushed a barangay-owned truck loaded with passengers at Sitio Quarry in Barangay Kimlawais, Kiblawan, Davao del Sur on Sunday night.
In a report to the Davao del Sur Provincial Police Office, Superintendent Deozar Almasa, acting chief of Police of Kiblawan Municipal Police Station, said 40 students of Kimlawis National High School (KNHS) on board the Sadam Truck owned by Barangay Kimlawis were on their way to Kiblawan Gym to perform Maral de dalan, a street dancing event, for the three-day Damsu Festival.
While they were about 150 meters away from Barangay Kimlawis proper, unidentified armed men fired at Sadam Truck resulting in the death of 16-year-old Jimboy Linkanay, who was declared dead upon arrival at Gregorio Matas District Hospital in Davao del Sur.
Wounded in the attack were James Paul Sarno, 18 of (out patient); Mildred Linkanay, 15 (out patient); Jiv Cris Malalay, 17, (admitted at Davao Sur National Hospital Digos City); Jimboy Sumali, 25, (admitted Davao Sur National Hospital Digos City); Nibert Malanson (admitted at Southern Philippines Medical Center SPMC Davao City); Marlon Malanson, (SPMC); Mark Gil Tol, Sadam Truck Driver (SPMC); and, Aries Caluyan, 15 (SPMC).
Davao del Sur chief of police Sr. Superintendent Samuel Gadingan said all victims suffered gunshot wounds in different parts of their bodies.
Gadingan said the incident is still under investigation by the Kiblawan municipal police while a municipal search and rescue team has been deployed to barangay Ihan in Kimlawis to scour the area and track the armed men. (Lilian C. Mellejor/PNA)
