By BEHN FER.,HORTALEZA, JR.

POLICE investigators are pursuing some leads on the motive and possible identity of the mastermind behind the shooting of local broadcaster Allan Sison late Friday evening outside his residence along the De Venecia highway.

Sison, a controversial figure in Pangasinan media circles who has had violent scrapes with other people and only recently with a fellow mediaman, has been pronounced by doctors as having good chances of surviving despite suffering two gunshot wounds believed fired from a .45 caliber pistol at close range.

Witnesses said Sison was talking to a former teacher, Mrs. Lily Duque, when his assailants struck, pushing a startled Duque away before firing at Sison, two bullets hitting him in the chest and in the armpit. The broadcaster slumped to the ground.

Police leads on the incident mainly consisted of statements made by Sison to investigators at his hospital bedside about persons who may have wanted him harmed.

P/Supt Dionicio Borromeo said the suddenness of the attack left many people around the scene stumped for several minutes before regaining their senses to rush the bloodied broadcaster to the hospital and reporting the shooting to the police.

By the time the police arrived and flashed the alarm to nearby police units and stations, the suspects on a motorcycle were believed to have already made good their escape.

Borromeo said it appears from initial investigation that the suspects may have trailed Sison going home.

Sison, popularly known to his radio listeners as “Dr. Heart” sometime ago shot and killed a teenager at his shop reportedly during a burglary attempt. Earlier last April, he figured in a lopsided fight with a fellow mediaman, Jaime Aquino whom he accosted at the premises of the provincial elections office in Dagupan reportedly over Aquino’s printed tirades against him.

A television news footage of the incident at the Comelec premises at the Dagupan Astrodome showed Sison collaring, punching and later, delivering a karate kick that barely missed the face of a bloody-nosed Aquino.