A man listed by police as the top drug personality in Candijay town was shot dead by an unidentified gunman at 6 p.m. in the said municipality on Sunday.

Police identified the victim as Mely Tadina, a 56-year-old resident of Barangay Poblacion, Candijay and a delivery man who transported eggs to stores in the town.

According to PO3 Emmanuel Jabas of the Candijay Police Station, the victim was gunned down inside the municipality’s public market while making an egg delivery.

The suspect who covered his face with a shirt was reportedly trailing Tadina before firing multiple shots at the victim from behind.

Jabas said that the suspect shot Tadina again as he was already sprawled on the ground hitting him once in the back and four times in the head.

Tadina was rushed to a nearby hospital but immediately succumbed to his injuries as he was declared dead on arrival by the attending physician.

Based on initial investigation, the suspect immediately left the crime scene and fled on board a motorcycle which was driven by another unidentified man.

Police are still continuing their probe and have yet to identify the gunman and motive behind Tadina’s murder.

Jabas said that Tadina had previously surrendered under Oplan Tokhang as a drug dealer and had been on top of the municipal police’s watchlist of drug personalities. (Allen Doydora)