FIVE soldiers were killed and another was wounded in a shooting incident inside Camp Evangelista in Barangay Patag, Cagayan de Oro on Saturday, February 11, 2023.
Major Francisco Garello Jr., spokesperson of the 4th Infantry Division (4ID), said that around 1:10 a.m. on Saturday, the suspect shot dead four Service Support Battalion (SSBn) who were asleep in the barracks and wounded another.
The suspect, then, proceeded to another room and was shot by one of the two SSBn personnel in an act of self-defense and defense to another person.
"Sa ngayon hindi natin alam what are the reasons why he did that," Garello said.
The 4ID spokesperson added that they are coordinating with the Philippine National Police in the conduct of an internal probe that will look into all angles that triggered the shooting incident.
"We offer our sincerest condolences and sympathies to the bereaved family of the dead soldiers. This is a very unfortunate incident and we assure the public na this is an isolated incident," Garello said, adding that the 4ID will extend all necessary assistance to the family of the dead soldiers.
He further assured that the incident will not have an impact on the operations of SSBn.
The 4ID also created a Board of Inquiry team to collaborate with the PNP Cocpo and Soco to expedite the investigation and put closure to the incident.