Special investigation team assembled to probe death of Dueñas vice mayor

A Special Investigation Team (SIT) is being created to investigate the death of Dueñas Vice Mayor Aimee Paz Lamasan, who allegedly shot herself in the stomach with a 9mm pistol on January 1.

According to a "24 Oras" report by Kim Salinas on Friday, Police Regional Office VI had ordered the Iloilo City Police office to intensify their investigative efforts into the matter.

“Tututukan ito ng SIT upang ma-pinpoint natin kung ano ba ang behind sa insidenteng ito at kung ano pa ang details at least, ma-resolve na natin once and for all ang case na ito,” said PRO VI Spokesperson Major Lailyn Sencil.

(The SIT will focus on this so we can pinpoint what exactly happened behind this incident and what the details are at least, so we can resolve this case once and for all.)

Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO) Chief Colonel Kim Legarda shared that they are sorting through the evidence gathered from Lamas’ home in La Paz, where the incident took place.

They are also looking into the statement of the late vice mayor’s live in partner Lord Byrong Torrecarion, former Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Western Visayas Director.

“Iniisa-isa natin ang mg sirkumstansya. We don’t want to speculate kung ano ang ma-account natin sa witnesses at ebidensya that would represent kung ano ang mangyari,” said Legarda.

(We are going through the circumstances one-by-one. We don’t want to speculate on what we can account for with the witnesses and the evidence that would represent exactly what would happen.)

“Whatever the evidence is presenting, kung ano man ang ma-recover… We are not closing our windows sa kung ano man yung possibilities,” he added.

(Whatever the evidence is presenting, whatever we may recover… We are not closing our windows on what the possibilities may be.)

Torrecareon has yet to respond to La Paz Police’s request for a paraffin test.

Meanwhile, ICPO confirmed that the gun in the incident was owned by Lamasan herself.

GMA Integrated News has reached out to Torrecareon for comment, while Lamasan’s family said that they will release a statement regarding the nature of her death over the next coming days. — Jiselle Anne C. Casucian/BAP, GMA Integrated News