Paramedics and police carry on a stretcher the body of Canadian national Pope, outside a courtroom in Cebu city. — Reuters
MANILA — A 66-year-old Canadian man opened fire inside a courtroom in the central Philippine province of Cebu on Tuesday, killing a doctor and a lawyer before shooting and killing himself, police said.
The suspect, John H. Pope, appeared in court in central Cebu city, where he resided, to face the charges when he pulled out a gun and shot a lawyer and a physician who filed a case against him, police said.
While walking towards the lobby of a building opposite to the court, he shot the state prosecutor handling his case at point-blank range. The prosecutor was in critical condition in hospital, the National Bureau of Investigation said.
Police said they shot Pope in the arm, but he also shot himself in the head after falling to the floor, the bureau said.
Prosecutor General Claro Arellano said in a statement it was clear there was a “serious lapse in security” in the court premises, calling on the Supreme Court, overseer of courts all over the country, to investigate.
Regional police director Marcelo Garbo said Pope ignored orders to surrender and tried to fire at police.
Police said they were investigating Pope’s background.
Local media mentioned Pope in 2011, when he was held by police on charges of illegal possession of firearms. The same physician who was killed in Tuesday’s shooting accused Pope, his neighbor, of brandishing a weapon and threatening him and other residents in their condominium.
Pope was quoted as saying at the time that the pistol he was carrying was for self-defense. Apart from illegal weapons possession, he was also charged with malicious mischief and grave threats.
The shooting came after several recent killings in the country that prompted calls for a tighter gun control. —Agencies
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