HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — Police crime scene tape is draped along a pole that blocks the dirt road access to a farm area along Chalan Arendo in Yigo.
The property is the site of a shooting reported Friday afternoon — and where police officers found two men dead.
More than 72 hours after the incident, detectives did not confirm whether the men suffered any gunshot wounds.
But sources confirmed with The Guam Daily Post that the ranch belongs to a Vietnamese farmer. The sources said two workers had gotten into an argument before they shot each other.
“I heard a shot from somewhere over here,” said Daniel Quintanilla, as he pointed to the area officers responded to last week.
About a handful of wood-and-tin structures, broken down cars and buses and cattle were seen along Chalan Arendo, a farm area in the village.
Quintanilla raises cows at his family ranch close to the crime scene. He said he is does not personally know the people who own the farm where the bodies were found.
“Nothing like this has happened here before,” he said.
Yigo resident Tracy lives on the property across from the entrance to Chalan Arendo. She recalled seeing an ambulance but was unaware that a shooting had occurred so close to her home.
“It’s getting bad. It’s worse. Just like back in the states with the school shootings. It’s sad,” said Tracy, who asked that her full name not be used. “It’s not like before when it was quiet and no shootings. Now there’s robberies and all kinds of things.”
She said she’s lived in the area for the past 10 years, and aside from the heavy traffic, it’s a quiet area.
Earlier deaths
The deaths of the two unidentified men are the latest cases officers are looking into in Yigo this year.
On Jan. 23, 63-year-old Patrick Ken Sakai was found unresponsive in Yigo at a ranch off Chalan Emsley. An autopsy report found that Sakai had been stabbed multiple times and suffered blunt force trauma. His death was ruled a homicide, but authorities have not confirmed whether they are any closer to finding a suspect.
On July 18, police said the decomposed body of a middle-aged man was located behind a residence along Tun Luis Anaco in Yigo after witnesses reported a foul odor in the area. Detectives have confirmed that they found no signs of foul play at the scene, but they await the results of an autopsy.
The unsolved cases have left the community with many questions.
Yigo Mayor Anthony Sanchez reminds village residents to be vigilant and keep an eye out in their areas.
“I think what needs to happen is we need to have more law enforcement out there imposing the laws,” said Sanchez. “Being that GPD is short-handed, I guess that there is a need to get more manpower and have them solve some of these crimes and prevent some of these crimes.”
Sanchez said he also does not know the owner of the property where last Friday’s crime scene unfolded.
By midday Monday, Guam Police Department spokesperson Officer Berlyn Savella said she was waiting for detectives to brief her so she could provide more information about the case in Chalan Arendo.
The Office of the Attorney General is working to schedule both autopsies.
Police tape is seen at the entrance of a farm along Chalan Arendo in Yigo, Guam. Officers responded to a reported shooting Friday and found two dead men at the scene.