In the previous article, we used deep blue (murderer), bare-chested (victim), light blue (bystander, later said to be a shareholder of the restaurant, Mr. Li), camouflage (accomplice of the murderer), white clothing (female, girlfriend of the victim, Ms. Hu), and shorts (later said to be the security guard of the Chinese restaurant) to refer to the six people appearing in the video. The same references apply in the content below.
Based on the loud background noise in the video, a segment of the conversation was shared.
After the bare-chested man was shot and fell to the ground, the woman in white asked the deep blue: "What should we do?" The shooter, deep blue, said: "Let's go, come on." The white-clothed woman said: "I'm not leaving, we need to take him to the hospital." Deep blue replied: "He won't make it." Then, deep blue told light blue: "Clean up this place immediately." and reached out to the white-clothed woman saying: "Are you coming or not?" After the woman in white refused, deep blue told light blue: "Take good care of her (the woman in white)."
This dialogue seems to correspond with the content of the video. Some statements also bear some resemblance to the unclear parts of the video, appearing to be over 88% accurate.
Today, a person claiming to be the owner of the hotpot restaurant where the incident occurred disclosed some truths, explaining that the case has nothing to do with the hotpot restaurant. The editor summarized it as follows.
The hotpot restaurant has been open since 2019, operating from 6 PM to 2 AM. Light blue (Mr. Li) is a shareholder of the restaurant, and the restaurant manager couple are Mr. Li's younger brother and his wife. Mr. Li lives in BGC and rarely visits the Makati store, but was there that day to discuss matters with his brother and sister-in-law.
Deep blue, bare-chested, camouflage, and white clothing had been dining in the VIP room of the hotpot restaurant from 7 PM the previous day (October 16) until the incident occurred at 2:30 AM the next morning. Mr. Li knew the bare-chested man and the woman in white as friends but did not know the gunman. The woman in white and the bare-chested man were indeed a couple. When Mr. Li was about to leave after finishing his discussion, he heard that the bare-chested man and the woman in white were dining there, so he went in to greet them.
However, as soon as Mr. Li entered the room, he found the situation was tense. The gunman, seeing a stranger enter, threatened with a gun: "Move and I'll kill you!" Seeing the dark muzzle in the gunman's hand, Mr. Li was terrified. What followed was the scene captured in the video.
At the time of the incident, the hotpot restaurant was about to close, and the security guard (shorts) had just changed out of his uniform and was preparing to leave work when he heard the gunshot and came to check, having nothing to do with the shooting.
After the incident, the murderer and his accomplice (camouflage) left, and the Filipino staff immediately called the police. The police arrived quickly and took Mr. Li and Ms. Hu (the woman in white), along with other staff members, to the nearby Makati City Police Station, Palanan Police Sub-station, for investigation. They were still being questioned overnight at the police station at the time of the hotpot restaurant's statement.
The police investigators took all the SD cards from the Xiaomi surveillance cameras in the restaurant. Therefore, what exactly happened in the VIP room at the time is unclear to the restaurant. They also believe that the police sold the video to the media. This assumption is obviously incorrect. If the police had sold the video to the media, then those Philippine media would have already made the case public.
This video might have been leaked by the police, but it's estimated not to be sold, probably sent to a Chinese friend of the police. Of course, it could also have been leaked by the hotpot restaurant. Because there was some time from the call to the police arriving at the scene, it's possible for someone inside the restaurant to have edited the video from the surveillance footage. Please note, the video circulating online is not a transcription but a cut from the original surveillance video. This operation still involves some technical skills, so the possibility of a police leak is slightly higher.
The restaurant owner finally stated that with this incident, it's impossible to continue business. Who would dare to dine in a restaurant where their safety is not guaranteed? Would anyone intentionally allow their business to fail by having someone shoot and kill in their own restaurant?
A chat screenshot circulating online shows Ms. Hu at the police station denying knowing the gunman, while Mr. Li was persuading her to clarify the situation.
Some say: Regardless of how the hotpot restaurant explains, the victim was in your restaurant when the incident occurred. You failed to ensure the safety of every customer coming to your restaurant, so the hotpot restaurant is certainly responsible. Would you dare to dine in a restaurant where your personal safety is not guaranteed?
Typically, the security of a hotpot restaurant should check every customer entering for guns, similar to the security at large Philippine malls, airports, docks, bus stations, banks, pawnshops, and other institutions. Of course, most restaurant security does not perform checks. But since the gunman could easily bring a gun into the restaurant and commit murder, the restaurant owner should certainly bear the corresponding responsibility.
More than 48 hours have passed since the incident, but authoritative information is still very limited.
Due to the lack of sufficient information, various rumors and debunkings about this case are rapidly spreading on social platforms, making it difficult to distinguish between true and false. PASA has summarized various versions of the rumors to help those concerned understand the situation, but it must be emphasized that the authenticity of all this information is doubtful, and it is urgent for the official to come forward to disclose the truth. PASA is also making efforts.
Rumor one, Business Dispute Version
Some netizens claim that the gunman, alias "Mr. Long," was previously suspected of kidnapping, drug abuse, and murder. The man in blue, Mr. Li, had a close relationship with the gunman, and the bare-chested man knew the gunman through the blue-clothed Mr. Li. The three discussed a payment dispute during the dinner, leading the bare-chested man to refuse to settle the business, which triggered the gunman to act. However, this version does not mention the identity of the last-appearing woman in white.
Rumor two, Love Triangle Drama Version
According to online rumors, the gunman and the bare-chested man belonged to different gang factions, and the woman in white was the gunman's ex-girlfriend and also the current girlfriend of the bare-chested man. Before the incident, the gunman invited the bare-chested man and the woman in white to dine, and due to emotional entanglements, a conflict arose, ultimately leading to the shooting of the bare-chested man. The identity of the man in blue is not extensively discussed in this version.
Rumor three, Hotpot Restaurant Insider Version
In this version, the light blue-clothed Mr. Li is described as a shareholder and the older brother of the hotpot restaurant owner. He knew the woman in white, Ms. Hu, and her boyfriend, the bare-chested man, but did not know the gunman. According to the rumor, the gunman had dinner with the couple the previous night until after 2 AM.
As the store was about to close, light blue-clothed Mr. Li entered the private room to greet them but was threatened by the gunman, who forbade him from leaving. Terrified, Mr. Li could not move and subsequently witnessed the entire process of the gunman shooting the bare-chested man. After the incident, Mr. Li was summoned by the police, and the surveillance video's SD card was also confiscated by the police. After a day of questioning, Mr. Li was released, but he was unclear about Ms. Hu's situation.
The Chinese Embassy in the Philippines has been informed of the incident and is involved in handling it, but specific details have not yet been disclosed.
