SELF-CONFESSED drug lord and Albuera, Leyte mayoral candidate Rolan “Kerwin” Espinosa was injured when he was shot by an assailant while campaigning yesterday afternoon.
PNP spokesperson Brig. Gen. Jean Fajardo said two others were injured in the attack — Espinosa’s sister and vice mayoral candidate Mariel Espinosa Marinay and Aira Matinelle Colasito, a minor.
Fajardo said the incident occurred at around 4:30 p.m. at the Leyte Gymnasium in Barangay Tinag-an in Albuera.
Fajardo said Espinosa was sitting on a monobloc chair, waiting for his turn to speak, when an unidentified male assailant opened fire at him.
She said the suspect hid in the ceiling of the stage before the attack.
Fajardo said the victims were brought to the nearest hospital for medical attention.
Fajardo said the Albuera municipal police station and the Special Weapons and Tactics are conducting a hot pursuit operation against the suspect. She said roadblocks were also set up.
Espinosa became prominent during the Duterte administration when he admitted being a drug lord.
He later implicated former Sen. Leila De Lima in the drug trade but later recanted his statement, saying he was coerced into implicating the former lawmaker.
De Lima was charged with drug-related cases and was incarcerated. She was later cleared of the charges and released from detention.
Espinosa faced criminal cases in various courts. One of the cases, which is related to illegal drugs, was dismissed by a Leyte court in June last year for insufficiency of evidence.
Espinosa is running for Albuera mayor as an independent candidate. His opponents are Vincent Rama of the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas and Sixto dela Victoria of the National Unity Party.
