THE Baguio City Police Office on Thursday belied reports that a Daily Tribune correspondent escaped a gun attack in the city on Tuesday night citing a witness’ account and findings that the complainant could have mistaken the sound of a motorbike’s modified muffler to gunfire.

The purported victim identified as Aldwin Quitasol, president of the Baguio Correspondents and Broadcasters’ Club, earlier claimed he escaped an assassination attempt by two motorcycle-riding men along Second Road in Barangay Quezon Hill around 9:55 p.m. last Tuesday.

The 46-year old correspondent said he was on his way home when he was shot by the suspects but was able to duck for cover.

However, the City Investigation and Detective Management Unit and Station 1 of the Baguio City Police Office said their investigation showed ‘there was no shooting incident that happened upon the person of Mr. Quitasol but a simple incident of alarm/sound caused by a motorcycle which he mistook as a sound coming from a suspected firearm.’

Local police officials said they were surprised to hear of the complaint from Quitasol himself since there was no record of any shooting incident in the place. The correspondent also said he had no known enemies and had not received any death threat in the past.

However, they asked the complainant to go with them at the site where he claimed to have escaped an attempt on his life to do a reenactment.

During the investigation of the complaint, the local police interviewed a man residing a few meters away from where Quitasol was allegedly shot. The man testified that from 8 to 11 p.m. last Tuesday, he did not hear any sound of a gunshot or saw any commotion in the area.

The man also said that he can easily hear any noise outside their house since it is situated near the road.

Investigators searched the place for any spent cartridge or slug but did not find any.

Quitasol admitted that shortly after he heard an alleged sound of a gunshot from behind, he noticed a motorcycle passing by from the other lane but did not see the rider/s carrying a gun and shooting at him.

This led the local police to believe the ‘alleged gunfire’ heard by the complainant could have come from the motorbike’s modified muffler which is known for emitting ‘a gunshot-like sound’ in some instances.

The local police also said that considering the gravity of the case which needs to be addressed immediately-if it really happened-, Quitasol did not immediately report the matter to the Baguio City Police Station 1 which is located just several meters away from the place where he was reportedly shot.

The Baguio City Police Office headed by Colonel Glenn D. Lonogan recommended that other law enforcement agencies should also conduct a parallel investigation into the matter as he called for a dialog with the local media to allay their fears and set the facts straight regarding the claim of Quitasol.