Cotabato City Gun Attacks Allegedly Caused by Mobile Legends Gambling Gone Wrong
Two gun attacks happened in Cotabato City yesterday, February 22, 2022, and they both allegedly stemmed from Mobile Legends bets that led to disputes.
According to multiple local news reports, two men, Hubert Concepcion (20) and Frits Patagan (29), were simply playing the mobile game in the front yard of their rented house at 9 PM yesterday when suddenly, men riding motorcycles arrived and shot them with .45 caliber pistols, injuring both of them in the process.
The attacks were allegedly attributed to a PHP 15,000 betting game in MLBB that went sour, with neighbors of the victims backing this claim. The police eventually also discovered bullet shells from a .45 caliber pistol at the crime scene.
The police, led by Major Elixon Bona of the Cotabato City Police Precinct 2, then conducted a Pursuit Operation in the hopes of apprehending the perpetrators but was unfortunately met with gunfire as they neared the crime scene that resulted in a 10-minute shootout. The said shootout also resulted in Major Bona sustaining a superficial bullet wound from the encounter.
According to succeeding reports, several men were picked up for verification as some of them were suspected to be cohorts of the shooters. They have also arrested another person for carrying a .45 caliber pistol despite the COMELEC gun ban that is currently in effect (although they have yet to officially determine if the person carrying the said pistol was responsible for the attacks).
The two injured men are now in the hospital while there are also reports of another civilian being hit by a stray bullet. A nearby coffee shop also sustained the damages from the ensuing shootout between the police and the suspects.
The police have yet to determine if the claims about the PHP 15,000 MLBB betting game were true as the investigations are still ongoing.
This is a developing story. More information will be added as soon as possible.
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