Police arrest 18-year-old suspected ‘hitman’ in Mambaling shootings
CDN Digital Photo by Paul Lauro
CEBU CITY, Philippines – An 18-year-old man believed to be a hitman behind the series of shootings in Brgy. Mambaling, Cebu City was arrested on Monday, August 12.
The Mambaling Police Station confirmed arresting the suspect, whom witnesses identified as Vladimir Paresan, in Spolarium Street, Brgy. Duljo Fatima past 4 a.m. on Monday.
Police Major Efren Diaz Jr., chief at the Mambaling Police Station, said a member of the LGBTQIA community complained to barangay tanods that a man threatened him with a gun.
The tanods (village peacekeepers in English) then went out to locate the suspect, and found Paresan who had been carrying an unlicensed firearm.
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They placed the suspect under arrest and turned him over to the Mambaling Police Station where they confiscated a 0.9 mm pistol from him.
Further investigations later revealed that Paresan was wanted for frustrated murder and murder in connection with a series of shootings in Mambaling last May.
According to Diaz, the suspect admitted to working as a gun-for-hire and receiving orders to kill mostly individuals who failed to remit proceeds from the illegal drug trade.
He was the prime suspect tagged in two consecutive shooting incidents last May 24 and May 25, the last of which turned out to be fatal, he added.
“Base sa atong intel gathering, una niyang pamusil nahitabo tung May 24 pero buhi ang biktima… Namusil sad siya tung May 25 pero nakabsan gyud (ug kinabuhi). Naay namatay,” Diaz said in an interview.
In a separate interview, however, Paresan denied all the accusations against him, adding that he only showed his firearm to the LGBTQIA member who complained against him because he wanted to sell it.
Paresan is currently detained at Mambaling Police Station pending formal complaints to be filed against him. /clorenciana
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