LUPAO, Nueva Ecija – A village head and a councilman were killed when a farmer went on a shooting rampage in a birthday party in Barangay Alalay Chica here Monday night.
The victims were identified as Barangay Chairman Elpidio Gamit, 50, and Councilor Jerry Verdillo. Police identified the suspect as Pedrito Dicipulo, 58.
Senior Insp. Florentino Cuevas, town police chief, said the victims died of gunshot wounds on their bodies.
The suspect was arrested by responding policemen, he said.
Cuevas said the killing was apparently motivated by an old grudge involving their children.
Police investigations showed that the shooting broke out at around 9:30 p.m. Monday at the birthday party of a certain Lito where the two victims and the suspect even had a drinking spree.
Witnesses recounted Dicipulo stood up and left. When he returned, he was brandishing a hand gun and shot the victims point-blank.
Gamit was hit by a single bullet wound in the body while Verdillo sustained a gunshot wound on his back.
Verdillo was pronounced dead on arrival at a hospital in San Jose City while Gamit had to be transferred to Cabanatuan City but expired before reaching a hospital.
Cuevas said the old grudge was an offshoot of an earlier grudge involving the suspect and victim’s children.
