27-9-2024 (MANILA) Professional Basketball Association (PBA) player John Amores and his brother have turned themselves in to local authorities following a shooting incident in Lumban, Laguna. The surrender, which took place in the early hours of Thursday, comes after CCTV footage captured Amores firing a gun at another man following a heated basketball game.
The incident, which occurred around 5 p.m. on Wednesday in Barangay Maytalang Uno, was precipitated by a dispute during a local basketball match in Barangay Salac. According to Police Major Bob Louis Ordiz, chief of Lumban Municipal Police Station, the altercation stemmed from a contested call in a game where a P4,000 prize was at stake.
“There was a basketball game in Barangay Salac, and a disagreement over a call led to a challenge for a fistfight. The situation escalated, and they ended up in Barangay Maytalang I. Another challenge was issued, but John Amores was armed and fired at the victim,” Ordiz explained.
Fortunately, the victim escaped unharmed, and no bystanders were injured during the shooting. The police immediately launched a hot pursuit operation, which culminated in the surrender of Amores and his brother at 1 a.m., facilitated by another sibling who serves as a barangay chairman in nearby Pagsanjan.
Ordiz revealed that both brothers had been receiving threats following the incident, prompting their voluntary surrender. “They turned themselves in at our station due to threats to their lives,” the official stated.
The Amores siblings are now facing potential attempted murder charges and are set to undergo inquest proceedings.
While the victim has declined to speak with the media, his mother, Shirley Cacalda, expressed her determination to pursue legal action against the Amores brothers. “My son had just returned from working on a ship, he’d only been here for 5 or 6 days… and then this happens. Over P4,000, he tried to kill my son. I won’t allow it,” a tearful Cacalda told reporters at the Lumban police station.
JUST IN | Napasugod ngayong Huwebes ng umaga sa Lumban Police Station si Shirley Cacalda, ang ina ng 32-anyos na lalaking biktima na pinaputukan ng baril ng PBA player na si John Amores, Miyerkules ng hapon. @ABSCBNNews pic.twitter.com/jNtXkLVGj9
— Jessie Cruzat (@jessiecruzat) September 26, 2024
This incident marks another controversy in Amores’ troubled career. The former Jose Rizal University player was previously banned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) after a violent outburst during a 2022 game against De La Salle-College of St. Benilde, where he punched four opposing players.
PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial issued a brief statement, saying, “This is a matter subject of investigation by the police, and we cannot comment on it. But we are saddened by such an unfortunate incident.”
