An army soldier went on a shooting rampage inside the camp of the 4th Infantry Division in Cagayan de Oro City early Saturday killing four colleagues before he was shot dead by other troopers.
Armed with an M-16 rifle, a private barged into the quarters of the armys’ Service Support Battalion and shot the four victims who were sleeping in their rooms around 1 a.m. on Saturday, Major Francis Garillo Jr. 4ID spokesperson, said.
Three — two sergeants and a private — died on the spot while a corporal shot and wounded in the head was sent to the army hospital for treatment, Garillo said.
Other soldiers in the camp engaged the shooter in a brief firefight killing him.
The Philippine Army and the Philippine National Police are conducting a joint investigation of the shooting to determine the motive of the killer.
The names of the shooter and his victims have been withheld pending the notification of their next of kin.
PA spokesperson Col. Xerxes Trinidad said the 4ID is also conducting an internal investigation.
“We want to identify the gaps, what is the reason or what triggered this particular or unfortunate incident,” Trinidad said in a phone interview on Saturday.
with LADE KABAGANI