BY MA. THERESA LADIAO
ILOILO – A festive gathering turned deadly in Zarraga, Iloilo when a tricycle driver was fatally shot by the chief of barangay tanods on Saturday, December 14.
The 38-year-old Aparicio Abarca, a resident of the town’s Barangay Jalaud Sur, succumbed to a gunshot wound inflicted by a 12-gauge shotgun.
Police identified the suspect as 48-year-old Ireneo Sintos Jr. from Barangay Gines. He was apprehended in a hot pursuit operation following the incident.
According to Captain Dandi Elalto, chief of the Zarraga Municipal Police Station (MPS), an altercation occurred during a Christmas party organized by a local tricycle association. Abarca and Sintos reportedly had a heated exchange earlier in the evening, where the victim allegedly hurled offensive remarks at the suspect.
As Abarca headed home, Sintos reportedly waited along the road. The confrontation escalated, resulting in the fatal shooting, Elalto added.
The victim was rushed to Don Jose S. Monfort Medical Center in Barotac Nuevo town but was declared dead on arrival by the attending physician.
The suspect was detained at the Zarraga MPS, facing charges of murder./PN
