Army major shot dead by own wife

An Army major was shot in the head by his wife in what she claims to be an accident inside the military barracks they were staying in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig.

Maj. Felixberto Latoza, 51, of the Philippine Army Engineering Brigade sustained a gunshot wound in his left temple and died on the spot.

The confessed assailant of Latoza is his own wife, Susan, who told Police Officer 2 Dennis Salopagio that it was an accident.

"We are still verifying her claim, according to her it was an accident," said Police Officer 2 Jun Rene Ubico.

Based on the police report, the incident happened at about 2 p.m. Tuesday while the couple were alone in their quarters.

A witness, a certain Sgt. Sablayan, told police that he heard gunshots from the couple’s room and when he checked, found the victim already lying in a pool of blood. There is yet no other witness to support or refute Susan’s allegations.

Susan claimed that she and her husband were kidding with each other at the time and it came to a point when she took her husband’s caliber .45 pistol.

The wife said she thought that the gun was not loaded when she jokingly pulled the trigger while pointing it at her husband’s head.

Police, though, are not immediately buying her version of the incident and are trying to determine if she has any motive to commit the killing.

Meanwhile, the police are now hunting a 27-year-old security guard after he shot dead yesterday morning his colleague during a heated argument in Barangay Holy spirit, Quezon City.

Victim Joel Calma, 35, a resident of Sampaloc St., Caloocan City, sustained bullet wounds in the head and body and was pronounced dead on arrival by attending physicians at a nearby hospital.

The suspect, Gerry Andrade, of Barrio San Lazaro, Tala, Caloocan, fled right after the shooting. Initial reports showed that the incident took place at about 8:30 a.m. at the gate of Mapayapa Village 1 in Barangay Holy Spirit, the post Calma and Andrade were both manning on different shifts.

The two reportedly locked horns in the past "due to the victim’s frequent excuses to leave his post earlier than supposed to." In this case, Andrade again told Calma that he had to leave early due to a "family emergency."

Thinking this was just another alibi, Calma flew into a rage and berated the victim. A heated altercation ensued and the suspect pulled out his service firearm and shot Andrade repeatedly in the forehead and abdomen. Calma escaped right after the incident. – Matthew Estabillo