Isabela City peace and order employee shot dead

Ricardo Laguardia, 30, an employee of Isabela City's peace and order and illegal drug prevention unit, was shot dead in front of his house in Barangay San Rafael on Thursday, February 20, around 6:45 p.m.

He was attacked by two unidentified gunmen on a motorcycle shortly after getting off his own motorcycle, and the suspects fled the scene.

Laguardia was rushed to a hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival, with police recovering three .45 caliber cartridges from the crime scene.

The victim headed the secretariat for both the City Peace and Order Council and the City Anti-Drug Abuse Council.

Isabela City Vice Mayor Kifli Hataman-Salliman condemned the killing and called for stricter enforcement of the election gun ban and an immediate resolution to the case.

This incident is the second shooting in Isabela City despite the ongoing election gun ban, with police arresting a suspect in a separate incident where a barangay councilor and her husband were wounded on Wednesday.