A holdup in a gasoline retail store in Minglanilla town yesterday ended in the accidental shooting of the owner’s wife.
Lucila Avila, 71, was wounded in the groin when her husband tried to grab the gun of one of the robbers and the weapon went off.
Police said three men on a motorcycle arrived at the store and bought a liter of gasoline at dawn.
The incident happened in front of the couple’s store in barangay Campo 7, Minglanilla town, southern Cebu.
One of the men went back to the store to return the gasoline container then surprised the couple when he drew a .45 pistol and declared a holdup.
Police said Valentine shouted to his wife to hand over the money. When his shout distracted the robber, Valentine tried to grab the gun.
While the two men wrestled, the gun went off, hitting his wife.
The robber ran to the motorcycle parked a few meters from the store and sped off. The husband tried to fire a shot at the robbers but the gun’s magazine fell off.
The woman was rushed to the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center in Cebu City./CORRESPONDENT GABRIEL C. BONJOC