By Jason De Asis

CAMP OLIVAS, Pampanga – The Police Regional Office-Central Luzon (PRO-3) resolved two high-profile gun slayings in Bulacan over the weekend following a swift suspect arrest in Baliwag City on Sunday and a voluntary surrender in Sta. Maria the previous day.

The PRO-3 said the Baliwag suspect fled on a motorcycle after gunning down an 80-year-old victim along Purok 2, Barangay Piel at around 7 a.m., but rapid analysis of closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage and witness leads allowed police to track and arrest him by 10 a.m.

Bulacan Forensic Unit’s Scene of the Crime Operatives recovered four fired cartridge cases and a bullet from the scene, alongside the suspect’s getaway motorcycle, clothing, and a 9mm pistol.

All recovered items are undergoing forensic and ballistic testing as police prepare to file a murder complaint before the Provincial Prosecutor’s Office in Malolos City.

“Every minute after a crime is committed is critical. In this case, our investigators immediately pursued every available lead — from witness accounts and CCTV footage to the recovery of physical evidence — which enabled us to identify and arrest the suspect in less than three hours,” PRO-3 Regional Director Brig. Gen. Jess Mendez said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the suspect in the fatal shooting of a former village secretary and school teacher in Sta. Maria voluntarily surrendered on Saturday.

The suspect turned himself in at the local police station upon learning that the victim managed to make a dying declaration, naming his attacker before succumbing to injuries. (PNA)