Gunman’s ‘cohort’ falls

A piggery caretaker was arrested after he was tagged as a cohort of the gunman in the May 13 killing of the son of the mayor of Carcar City during a village dance.

Jethro Lapeña denied involvement in the death of Carl Vinson, son of Carcar City Mayor Nicepuro Apura.

The self-confessed gunman Jay Boy Lauron, 23, was arrested by police in barangay Tri-Onion, Catigbian in Bohol Island last Thursday.

Lapeña was arrested while working at VIFCO piggery in sitio Tubod, barangay Valladolid, Carcar City past 8 p.m. on Thursday.

Police said he helped Lauron escape after the fatal shooting last Sunday dawn

“We arrested Lapeña based on Lauron’s statement that he helped him escape,” said Insp. Arvi Arbuis of the Carcar police.

The gunman said Lapeña helped him jump over a fence near the outdoor disco area to escape, Arbuis said.

He will be charged as an accessory to murder, said police.

Police said a background check revealed that Lapeña was a member of the Alpha Kappa Rho fraternity before he joined the rival Tau Gamma Phi.

Lauron denied that he was a fraternity member.

Carl Vinson was dancing with friends at a neighborhood outdoor disco in sitio Upper Tubod when he was shot in the head by a lone gunman.

Lauron, a resident of barangay Carreta, Cebu City, admitted shooting the victim but said he didn’t know that the man he killed after a confrontation on the dance floor was the mayor’s son.

Mayor Apura said he believed that Lauron knew Carl Vinson’s identity and that someone instructed him to kill his son.

“I will never believe in his statements. It is very clear considering how the things happened,” said Apura.

“I am grateful to our people who gave us a lead to the suspect and made life easier for the police since they described and identified the suspect,” he said last night.

A charge of murder was filed against Lauron by the police yesterday.

Lauron said he was with friends dancing on Sunday dawn when a stranger angrily challenged him to a gun duel.

Lauron said he jumped over the fence, threw away his gun and fled to Bohol after the incident.

Lauron asked forgiveness for his action and said he was ready to face the criminal charges against him.

Senior Supt. Patrocinio Comenadador Jr. commended the Carcar police for Lauron’s arrest./WITH REPORTS FROM CORRESPONDENTS PETER L. ROMANILLOS AND CHITO O. ARAGON