In the early hours of a Friday morning in northern San Pedro, a violent shooting incident has left a local tour guide recovering in hospital, with law enforcement currently working to track down the perpetrators.
Thirty-one-year-old Jean Villatoro became an accidental victim of the attack after he went to investigate an unusual disturbance near Palm Supermarket, according to initial reports from the scene. It was around 2:40 a.m. when Villatoro heard suspicious sounds coming from the supermarket property. Choosing to check what was happening, he approached the rear of the building, shining a flashlight into the dark to locate the source of the noise.
That is when he came face to face with four masked men, all dressed in full black clothing. Preliminary accounts indicate the men were in the process of attempting to break into the supermarket when Villatoro stumbled upon them. Before Villatoro could react, the group opened fire. The tour guide suffered two gunshot wounds to his abdomen in the hail of gunfire.
Following the shooting, Villatoro was quickly rushed to the San Pedro Polyclinic to receive urgent medical care for his injuries. As investigators began piecing together what happened, an additional key detail emerged: a security guard stationed at a nearby resort told police he heard a water vessel departing the area around the exact time shots were fired, suggesting the attackers used a boat to make their escape.
Forensic teams processing the crime scene have recovered a total of 19 spent bullet casings from the area, a find that underscores the volume of shots fired during the incident. As of the latest update, no suspects have been taken into custody, and the investigation into the shooting remains active and ongoing.