Sergeant shoots allegedly private dead

November 20, 2019

A Philippine Army personnel was allegedly killed by another soldier in a shooting incident in Taguig City on Wednesday morning.

Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala, Philippine Army spokesman, said the shooting incident happened along Bayani Road, Fort Bonifacio around 2 am.

Zagala identified the victim as Private First Class Niko Del Pilar and the suspect as Technical Sergeant Gilbert Gella.

"Initial investigation reveals that Gella was involved in a heated argument with Del Pilar, and in the former's bid to avoid an escalation, proceeded to his vehicle and leave the area," he said.

"As he was about to drive away, Del Pilar ran towards Gella's passenger side and took out his knife and stabbed Gella, instinctively prompting the latter to reach out for his gun and fatally shot Del Pilar in the neck," he added.

Zagala said Gella immediately surrendered to authorities after the incident.

"We will fully comply with the investigation of the authorities on the personnel involved in order to attain justice as swift as possible," he said.

"On the other hand, we will conduct our own parallel investigation as we continue to caution our soldiers to adhere to the principles of military discipline and proper decorum whether they are in uniform or not, whether inside or outside military jurisdiction," he added.

Zagala said Philippine Army condoles with the family of  Del Pilar and assures that the organization will extend any necessary assistance they needed. Robina Asido/DMS