SAN NICOLAS, Pangasinan – Unidentified men ambushed and killed a barangay chairman and his companion at about 2:30 a.m. in Barangay Salpad while they were on board a motorcycle bound for the town proper.
The fatality was identified as Noel Ruiz, 43, of Salpad, around three kilometers away from the town proper. His companion, who was driving the motorcycle, has yet to be identified.
Initial reports from the San Nicolas police showed they learned about the shooting incident from Vice Mayor Raymond Prestoza, who received a text message from an unknown sender at 4 a.m.
Police Officer 3 Romeo Bustarde, duty officer of the San Nicolas Police Station, said 7:00 a.m. the incident happened along a barangay road in front of the Salpad Elementary School while the victims were on board a motorcycle.
Police chief Senior Inspector Roldan Suetos said he was still at the site investigating the incident.
A sketchy report said the suspects used a shotgun to gun down the victims, as pellets were found at the crime scene.
It was learned Ruiz was going to the town proper to join other barangay captains of San Nicolas on a trip to Cebu, supposedly led by Mayor Leoncio Saldivar Jr.
Scene of the Crime Operatives from Urdaneta City are now in San Nicolas for follow-up investigations of the incident.
