A 40-year-old man who held a 10-year-old boy hostage was gunned down by the police in Barangay Lipata, Surigao City last Friday.
Police Brig. Gen. Joselito Esquivel, director of the Caraga police, said hostage-taker Michael Puerto Gallera went inside a Manila-bound bus in a terminal at around 11 a.m. and declared that all of the passengers were his hostages.
“The passengers panicked and they all went out of the bus,” said Esquivel.
The hostage, who was travelling with his grandmother, was left behind and Puerto Gallera grabbed him and turned him into a hostage.
Policemen responded and negotiated with Puerto Gallera who was armed with a knife and said that he would only release the boy if he is given a gun.
Investigators said Puerto Gallera wanted to use a gun to kill himself. He threatened that he would kill the boy if a gun was not given to him.
Police granted Puerto Gallera’s request to appease him and eventually rescue the boy. They gave a gun to Puerto Gallera without a firing pin, making the firearm useless for him to use.
Puerto Gallera released the boy but realized that he was duped. He attacked Police Senior Master Sgt. Ambrosio Andit with the knife.
Andit’s companion, seeing that Puerto Gallera was determined to kill Andit, shot the assailant, causing his death.
Andit sustained stab wounds and was taken to the hospital. (Aaron Recuenco)