At least three armed men shot dead the lawyer of slain suspected drug lord Melvin “Boyet” Odicta Sr.
Reports said lawyer Edeljulio Romero, whom police said was listed as a high-value target in the High-Value Level 3 among drug personalities, was shot on the back of his head around 1 p.m. on Friday while he was eating at a carinderia in Barangay Culasi, Roxas City.
Chief Superintendent John Bulalacao, director of Police Regional Office 6, said that his office had immediately launched a hot pursuit operation against the suspects who remain unidentified.
“We are already conducting an investigation on this incident to identify and arrest those responsible,” he said.
Romero served as the lawyer of Odicta until the alleged drug lord and his wife Merriam were gunned down by unidentified men on Aug. 29, 2016, shortly after they disembarked from a ship at the Caticlan port in Malay town in Aklan.
The lawyer was among those who were at the Caticlan port to fetch the Odicta couple.
The killing of the Odicta couple has remained unsolved.
A member of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines Iloilo, Romero, along with his wife, were waiting to board on a roll-on, roll-off vessel bound for Manila when the shooting occurred.
“We enjoin possible eyewitnesses to share information that may help in the ongoing investigation. We assure the victim’s family that a thorough investigation is underway to arrest those responsible,” Bulalacao said.
