Gunman in slay of Pangasinan dad’s son nabbed

URDANETA CITY – After a month of surveillance and intelligence gathering, police finally arrested the suspected triggerman in the killing of the engineer-son of a councilor here.

Superintendent Jimili Macaraeg, city police chief, said Chief Superintendent Leopoldo Bataoil, Ilocos regional police director, has commended Task Force Rene for the arrest of Vicente Simon, 31, tagged in last month’s gunslaying of engineer Rene Parayno, son of councilor Julio Parayno.

Macaraeg told The STAR that the police initially filed charges of illegal possession of firearms and violation of the gun ban against Simon for possessing a caliber .45 pistol without the necessary papers.

Simon was arrested after concerned citizens reported the presence of a suspicious-looking man. A witness in the young Parayno’s killing later positively identified him as the gunman through a scar on his face, prompting the police to eventually file a murder case against him.

Simon, however, denied any hand in the killing.

Macaraeg said a check with other law enforcement and government agencies showed that Simon was tagged in a robbery, car theft and kidnapping case in Pozorrubio town, a murder case in Isabela, shooting of an Indian national in Dagupan City, and robbery and car theft cases in Nueva Ecija.

Earlier, a multisectoral group here raised a P500,000 reward for the arrest of the young Parayno’s killer. – With Cesar Ramirez