CHAN AMBUSH SLAY

TWO persons of interest who can help shed light on the ambush last Jan. 9 have been identified by the chief of police of Calasiao, a member of the task group investigating the gun slay of retired police general Marlou Chan.

In a press conference on Jan. 13 held at the Agtarap Hall at the Pangasinan Police Office, Calasiao police chief, Lt. Col. Joseph Fajardo, identified the two as Edwin Ferrer from Barangay Gayaman, Binmaley and businessman Ashok Vasandani of Dagupan City.

Ferrer was verified to be at the crime scene and offered help to accompany the victim to the hospital while Vasandani was the last person whom Chan met in a restaurant before he was ambushed on Jan. 9 along the Barangay Nalsian, Calasiao town.

Fajardo said initial investigation showed Vasandani left the restaurant at around 2:45 p.m. in his vehicle followed by the victim’s pickup truck with his driver, both heading towards the same direction. During that time, Chan was already being tailed by the four tandem-riding men in two motorcycles who shot him. 

Chan died at the Dagupan Doctors Villaflor Memorial Hospital after attempts to revive him failed.

Fajardo stressed that as “persons of interest” does not mean that they are being tagged as suspects only that they are among the last persons the victim talked to before he was murdered and they had to be asked for the circumstances of their presence before the incident.

Hence, both Ferrer and Vasandani were invited by the police to provide some information.

Ferrer was arrested the next day, Jan. 10, when he was found in possession of one cal. 45 pistol loaded with seven rounds of ammunition and a body bag with one hand grenade after he was served a search warrant.

Fajardo said Ferrer was reportedly already involved in gun-for-hire activities and has pending case for illegal possession of firearms and ammunition at a regional trial court in Pangasinan. He is now detained at the Binmaley Police Station.

The police recovered five empty shells of caliber .45 and additional two empty shells in a follow-up investigation at the scene and from clips of CCTV footage.

Police are still looking into all possible angles as motive for the crime including personal, business or professional. “He (Chan) was a former provincial police director and had a colorful service and business interest,” Fajardo said.

Results of the ballistic tests and cross-matching of recovered slugs, evaluation of bullet trajectory, statements of witnesses, additional CCTV footage, polygraph tests, and results of technical examination of the recovered victim’s three cellular phones.

Fajardo pointed out that no one has been charged for Chan’s killing pending completion of the initial investigation.

Ferrer and Vasandani reportedly know each other, Fajardo said.

Meanwhile, the provincial task group investigating Chan’s murder has been elevated to Regional Investigation Task Group because of the position and status of the victim, said P/Major Rex Infante, chief of the Provincial Investigation and Detection Management Branch at the Pangasinan Police Office.

The National Bureau of Investigation is also conducting its own investigation. (PhilStar Wire Service/ECV/Nora Dominguez)

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