MANILA, Philippines — The shooting incident in Camp Evangelista in Cagayan de Oro City that left five dead, including the gunman, was an “isolated incident,” the military said over the weekend.
“We assure the public that this is an isolated incident,” said Maj Francisco Garello Jr. spokesperson of the 4th Infantry Division (4ID), in a statement on Saturday.
Philippine Army spokesperson Col. Xerxes Trinidad also echoed Garello’s statements, saying they will take steps to prevent similar incidents in the future.
“This is an isolated case,” Trinidad said in a statement on Saturday. ”The Army is conducting its internal investigation to identify what triggered this incident and to identify gaps in our recruitment and training process in order for us to prevent similar incidents in the future.”
The incident took place at the Service Support Battalion (SSBn), 4ID compound in Camp Evangelista.
Garello said four SSBn personnel were killed including the gunman, while the Army also said one was critically injured.
“The shooting incident resulted in the instantaneous death of four SSBn personnel,” Garello said.
“After which, the suspect went to another room/barracks wherein two soldiers wrestled and managed to neutralize the suspect acting in self-defense and defense to other person which caused the suspect’s death,” he added.
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