Attack on Letran cager, partner not likely game-related—police

Franz Dysam. https://www.ncaa.org.ph file photo

Authorities investigating the shooting of a Colegio de San Juan de Letran basketball player and his live-in partner said they were looking into at least two angles as the police said they were doubtful the incident was game-related.

Letran Knights point guard Franz Dysam, 23, and Joanne Garcia Sordan, 33, were in a car when motorcycle-riding men fired upon them on N. Domingo Street in San Juan City on Saturday evening  after Letran’s game against the Lyceum Pirates.

Dysam was reported to be in stable condition although he would still require surgery. However, Sordan was pronounced dead on arrival at San Juan Medical Center.

Senior Superintendent Bernardo Tambaoan, San Juan police chief, said that their initial investigation showed two possible motives: a love triangle or a business dispute, both linked to Sordan.

According to him, Sordan— who reportedly earned a living as a casino financier—was allegedly married to another man before she got into a relationship with Dysam.

Her two children with her ex-husband were in the car with the couple although both were unhurt.

Step-by-step approach

“We are looking into these angles right now. We will conduct a step-by-step approach to the investigation,” Tambaoan said, noting that investigators have talked with Dysam and other witnesses to the incident.

“Whatever the motive, the incident seems to have been planned because they waited for the victims to leave the arena and followed them until they were able to shoot them,” the police official added.

Investigators, meanwhile, were doubtful if game-fixing was the reason behind the incident.

Game-fixing ruled out

“It is unlikely that game-fixing is the motive behind this because according to [Dysam’s coach, Caloy Garcia] and team managers, he’s [only a supporting player] in the team,” Tambaoan said.

Initial investigation showed that the shooting happened at 7 p.m. on Saturday after the Knights won their game against the Pirates at the Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan City.

Dysam was driving Sordan’s gray Nissan Sentra (ZCA 176) to Intramuros, Manila, where they were to attend a victory party at Letran after the game, when two men on a motorcycle fired upon the vehicle.

The suspects, who used a .45-cal.  firearm, fled toward Quezon City after the incident.

The two were rushed to San Juan Medical Center where Sordan was declared dead on arrival.

Dysam, who, according to Letran’s Twitter account @LetranCollege, suffered six gunshot wounds in the chest, hip and right thigh, was transferred to another hospital.

“For security reasons, we cannot reveal what hospital he was transferred to, where he is under tight security to make sure he is protected,” Tambaoan said, adding that they would get a statement from him once he has recovered.

He added that Sordan’s estranged husband had already been questioned by the police, during which he told them that the split happened a long time ago and they have since moved on with their respective partners.

Letran issues statement

Meanwhile, Letran said that it was behind Dysam as it stressed that “all assistance, including moral and spiritual, is [being] given him. He is consistently being prayed for especially by the Letran priests.”

In an official statement, the school said that the player was “thankful to all who are praying for him and his family, especially to the Letran community who never left him in this trying time.”

“Letran officials pray for [his] speedy recovery and wish for the fast resolution of the case. We also pray for the eternal repose of the soul of Joanne Sordan,” it added.

According to the school, test results showed Dysam’s vital signs to be in good condition.

“He is scheduled for an operation [today] to remove four bullets in his body,” it said.

It also said that the footage of the shooting taken by a closed-circuit television camera had been turned over to authorities.