Police investigators say a 24-year-old security guard arrested over the killing of two colleagues in Quezon City claimed the attack was driven by repeated workplace harassment that he said had built up over time.
Authorities identified the suspect as Charren Aporado Caboverde, who was taken into custody a day after the fatal shooting at a Mitsubishi car dealership along Commonwealth Avenue in Barangay North Fairview. The victims were identified as Renato Santiago Mallo, 41, and Mark John Baguinio, 28.
According to a report from the Quezon City Police District, Caboverde spoke to a sales executive inside the dealership shortly before the incident, telling him he was prepared to kill someone after enduring what he described as long-standing provocation. He then instructed the sales agent to step outside the area.
Moments later, gunshots were heard from the dealership’s lounge, where investigators later determined the two victims had been resting. Police said both men were asleep when the shots were fired.
QCPD Director Police Col. Randy Glenn Silvio told reporters that information gathered by investigators pointed to a pattern of conflict between the suspect and the victims, who were senior personnel at the workplace.
“It seems like our two victims were bullying him. Before the incident, there was a fistfight and he couldn’t handle them,” Silvio said.
“So he waited for them to rest and fall asleep, and then he committed the crime,” he added.
Silvio also said Caboverde, who was relatively new on the job, appeared to have planned the attack in advance. “He really prepared for that day,” the police official said.
After the shooting, Caboverde fled the area and boarded a taxi heading south, according to police. Investigators later located CCTV footage from nearby establishments showing his movements and were able to identify the taxi involved. Dashcam footage inside the vehicle was also reviewed by authorities.
“You can see on the dashcam [footage] that he is very worried,” Silvio said.
Police tracked Caboverde to the Tondo district of Manila, where he was arrested on Thursday morning. Authorities said he is facing two counts of murder, with inquest proceedings expected to be conducted on the day of his arrest as officers complete documentation for the summary investigation that will determine the filing of charges in court.
