NEGROS Occidental – The suspect behind the shooting of three individuals in Sitio Beranio, Barangay Lantad, Silay City was killed during a buy-bust operation conducted by the Cadiz City Police Station on Thursday night, July 10.
The suspect was identified as Mark Pelayo, 34, unemployed, and a resident of Block 19, Lot 14, Villa Safrado, Barangay Burgos, Cadiz City.
Initial reports showed that Pelayo, while riding a motorcycle driven by alias “Ar Ar”, a Sangguniang Kabataan councilor from Barangay Canlusong, E.B. Magalona town, suddenly opened fire on three individuals in Silay City. It was also reported that Pelayo was hallucinating at the time, claiming he was being pursued by 20 people.
Following the incident, Ar Ar was surrended by his family to the Silay City Police Station. Lieutenant Col. Mark Anthony Darroca, Silay police chief, said the suspect denied having any knowledge of Pelayo’s intent to shoot.
“Upon hearing the gunshots, he panicked and twisted the throttle to flee the scene,” Darroca said.
Ar Ar also admitted to using illegal drugs. His family turned him over to authorities after he began making disturbing threats, including threatening to “slaughter” them.
After identifying Pelayo as the suspect, Silay police coordinated with the Cadiz City Police Station, which confirmed that Pelayo was one of the target personalities in their anti-drug operations.
Darroca said the Silay police had planned to conduct an operation to arrest Pelayo, but when they arrived at his location around 9 p.m., they discovered that the suspect had already been killed in a buy-bust operation after allegedly resisting arrest and engaging responding operatives.
During the operation, authorities recovered 17 sachets of suspected shabu, an improvised tooter, a caliber .45 pistol loaded with six bullets, and 11 rounds of .9mm ammunition
Darroca said Pelayo was confirmed to be the gunman in the Silay shooting based on the closed-circuit television camera footage and matching clothes found at his residence.
The prosecutor’s office meanwhile will determine whether Ar Ar will be charged as an accessory to the crime.
As of this writing, authorities considered the case solved, with the principal suspect neutralized and his alleged accomplices now under the Silay police custody./PN
