Shooting of Pinoy lawyer could be 'case of mistaken identity' — New York consulate
MANILA, Philippines (Updated 12:52 p.m.) — U.S. police are saying that the recent shooting incident in Philadelphia which took the life of a 35-year-old Filipino lawyer may have been due to "mistaken identity", an envoy said on Tuesday.
"The fatal shooting of Filipino lawyer John Albert Laylo could be a case of mistaken identity, according to police sources who say gunman appear to have fired at the wrong vehicle that was similar to what he was chasing," Philippine Consulate General in New York Elmer Cato said in a tweet on Tuesday.
The fatal shooting of Filipino lawyer John Albert Laylo could be a case of mistaken identity, according to police sources who say gunman appear to have fired at the wrong vehicle that was similar to what he was chasing. @teddyboylocsin @PHinNewYork @susanople @slyarriola @DFAPHL
— Elmer G Cato (@elmer_cato) June 20, 2022
As of 11:24 a.m, Laylo's family said that the Philadelphia police confirmed that it was indeed a case of mistaken identity, based on a report from ABS-CBN.
Laylo and his mother Leah Bustamante were on their way to catch a flight at the airport at around 4 a.m. of Saturday, June 18 when someone shot the Uber they were in.
Cato earlier said Laylo was hit in the head by one of the six bullets fired at the vehicle and was critically injured. He died at 10:33 a.m. on Sunday after being on life support.
Meanwhile, Laylo's mother was reported to have been "slightly wounded by glass fragments."
In a tweet on Tuesday, incoming Department of Migrant Workers Secretary Susan "Toots" Ople asked the consulate general in New York and other Foreign Affairs officials, including Teddy Boy Locson, to keep a direct line with the detectives assigned to the case.
"...[S]o the entire Philadelphia police force would know that we, JAL's (John Albert Laylo's) kababayans in the Philippines and around the world, are watching. Evil triumphs, when the good easily surrenders. JAL deserves justice," she said.
Let us continue to pray for our kababayan John Laylo and his mother, Leah, who are victims of a random shooting incident in Philadelphia on Saturday. @PHinNewYork calls on @PhillyPolice to do everything to bring perpetrator to justice. @teddyboylocsin @susanople @PhillyCrimeUpd pic.twitter.com/X7arlLTnHC
— Elmer G Cato (@elmer_cato) June 19, 2022
The Philippines' foreign service post in New York, of which Cato heads, holds jurisdiction over the state of Pennsylvania, where the city of Philadelphia is located.
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Laylo's Facebook profile shows he attended top universities in the Philippines, having taken up political science at the University of the Philippines- Diliman, law at the De La Salle University, and Masters of Laws in International Business Law at Central European University.
He also served for two years as part of the legislative team of outgoing Sen. Leila de Lima, who on Tuesday said she was saddened upon learning his untimely passing and extended her sympathies to his family.
"My deepest condolences on Jal's untimely passing. He was so young and still full of dreams," De Lima said in a statement.
In the U.S., regulations on the purchase and use of firearms remain loose. Renewed calls on tightening gun laws surfaced amid shootings in May—one which took place at an elementary school in Texas, killing 19 children, and another at a supermarket in New York which left 10 African American people dead. — With Xave Gregorio and AFP
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