Clerk kills lover, then takes own life in Parañaque

A 30-year-old shop clerk allegedly committed suicide after shooting dead his girlfriend, an optometrist, in Parañaque City yesterday morning.

Senior Police Officer 4 Glenn Tigson, officer-on-case, identified the alleged suicide victim as Pascual Porta, an optical attendant at the Acebedo Optical Shop, and resident of Malugay street, Barangay San Martin de Porres, in Parañque.

Probers said Porta allegedly shot dead his lover, Dr. Marie Joy Dimaano, 25, an eye specialist at the same optical shop, and a resident of Block 35, Lot 14, Central Bicutan, Taguig, inside his house at around 12:15 a.m. Then, he shot himself in the forehead with his .38 revolver, investigators said.

Witnesses told police investigators that Dimaano came to Porta’s house and was apparently going to stay for the night. Later, the neighbors said they heard four consecutive gunshots followed by a single shot before they rushed to the house and found the two sprawled in the living room in a pool of blood.

Dimaano sustained four gunshot wounds in the body. She was taken to the Fort Bonifacio Hospital in Taguig but was declared dead on arrival. – Rainier Allan Ronda