By Xinhua,
Manila : Eight people have been killed by a lone gunman who fired a M-16 rifle at four houses late Sunday night, local media reported Monday.
Neighbors told police investigators that the gunman went from one house to the other and fired random shots in Calamba city of northern Laguna Province. Six other people were injured, the TV network ABS-CBN News reported.
Local police chief Superintendent Ricardo Padilla told ABS-CBN News that a retired senior police officer has been placed under custody in connection with the shooting spree.
Padilla said the police have difficulty in determining the real motive, but investigators suspected the lone gunman may have grudges against the victims or was under the influence of drugs.
This is the second bloody shooting spree in three days in Laguna. On Friday, bank robbers shot dead 10 people inside a bank in Cabuyao town of Laguna. The massacre appalled the nation and prompted President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to order a speedy and thorough investigation.
Padilla on Monday said investigators have not identified a single suspect in the robbery massacre.