Three 18-year-olds were rushed to a hospital after being shot and stabbed early Thursday by unidentified suspects along M.H. Del Pilar in Tagbilaran City.

Police identified the victims as Christian James Amuruso of Barangay Dampas, Keech Hoyle of Brgy. Taloto and Alfie Inting of Barangay Dampas.

According to Tagbilaran City police, the victims were about to drink at a store near the Novo department store at 3 a.m. when men on three motorcycles stopped in front of them.

One of the motorcycle-riding men then allegedly started firing bullets at the victims before approaching Amuruso and shooting him in the back at point-blank range.

Hoyle said that the suspect was also about to shoot him but ran out of bullets. The suspect hit Hoyle with a bottle instead and stabbed him with a Batangas knife in the left part of his back.

Meanwhile, Inting was able to flee but the suspects were able to catch up and beat him up causing severe injuries and bruising.

The suspects immediately fled the crime scene while the victims were rushed to the Gov. Celestino Gallares Memorial Hospital after the shooting. All three victims are now in stable condition.

Inting told police that their companions figured in a brawl prior to the shooting incident near Martin’s Retsobar on Wednesday evening.

He said that they may have been attacked by the suspects as retaliation for the previous incident.

However, the Tagbilaran City police noted that the victims are known members of the “Bite Gang” which is suspected to be behind beatings of students in the city.

While continuing their investigation on the incident, police have speculated that the attack may have been a retaliatory act for said beatings. (Allen Doydora)