Igbaras, Iloilo – Police have arrested the suspect behind the fatal stabbing of a barangay tanod in Barangay Talayatay, Igbaras.
The victim was identified as Edwin Elumba Espada, a 52-year-old blacksmith and barangay tanod of Talayatay. The suspect, John Ray Barison, 27, is also a resident of the same barangay.
According to Police Captain Francis Donne Lomahan, chief of the Igbaras Municipal Police Station, the suspect was apprehended during a hot pursuit operation in Barangay Tigmarabo.
Lomahan revealed in an interview with Bombo Radyo that Barison was bathing in a river when authorities caught him.
Based on accounts from the suspect’s family, Barison is reportedly suffering from a mental disorder.
Initial investigations revealed that the incident happened while Espada was working on a construction project at a relative’s house. The suspect suddenly arrived and attacked him, fatally slashing his neck.
The Igbaras police are continuing their investigation to determine the motive behind the killing while waiting for the victim’s family to decide on filing charges against the suspect.
Text by: Bombo Hanna Andasa
