BY MA. THERESA LADIAO
ILOILO – A tragic shooting incident yesterday morning, December 5, claimed the lives of a barangay captain and her husband in Barangay Tinocuan, Dueñas, Iloilo.
Barangay Sto. Niño captain Michelle Lamela, 47, and Rodney Lamela, 48, were on their way to the town proper onboard a motorcycle when two unidentified motorcycle-riding gunmen ambushed them near a highway junction.
According to the Dueñas Municipal Police Station, the assailants were waiting along the roadside. As the victims approached, one gunman disembarked and fired multiple shots, fatally hitting Rodney on the head and chest while Michelle sustained a gunshot wound on the right side of her body.
Police recovered five empty shells of a caliber .45 pistol from the crime scene.
Brigadier General Jack L. Wanky, director of the Police Regional Office 6, revealed two potential motives being examined – political rivalry and personal vendetta.
Michelle, a first-term barangay captain, might have been targeted due to her political role, police said.
Authorities added that Rodney had reportedly killed the sibling of a police officer in 2009, potentially sparking lingering animosity. A possible land dispute was also being considered as a factor.
Wanky and Iloilo Police Provincial Office director Colonel Bayani Razalan visited the crime scene yesterday to oversee the investigation.
As of this writing, police identified a person of interest. Further probe was ongoing to pursue leads to bring the perpetrators to justice./PN
