By CESAR JOLITO III

A 39-year-old man was shot dead outside his residence in Negros Occidental’s Calatrava in the early hours yesterday, with police launching a manhunt for the still unidentified gunman.

Calatrava police said the incident occurred at 1:35 a.m. in Barangay Patun-an’s Zone 3.

Initial investigation showed that the victim had just arrived home and was parking his motorcycle when an unidentified male suspect suddenly appeared and shot him once from behind using an undetermined caliber firearm.

The victim sustained a gunshot wound to the back of his head and was immediately rushed to the Calatrava Municipal Hospital.

However, the attending physician declared him dead on arrival.

Investigators recovered one fired .45-caliber cartridge case at the crime scene, which will undergo forensic examination.

The suspect was described as wearing a black cap and a brown jacket and fled immediately after the shooting.

An investigation is ongoing./CCJ, WDJ