Resorts World exec says guards wounded gunman
Bomb sniffing dogs and police walk outside a hotel at the Resorts World Manila complex, early Friday, June 2, 2017, in Manila, Philippines. Gunshots and explosions rang out early Friday at a mall, casino and hotel complex near Manila's international airport in the Philippine capital, sparking a security alarm amid an ongoing Muslim militant siege in the country's south AP/Aaron Favila)
MANILA, Philippines — Findings of an initial investigation into the attack at hotel and casino complex Resorts World Manila indicate that the lone gunman was wounded by security guards before was he found dead in apparent suicide.
An emotional Resorts World Manila chief operating officer Stephen Reilly confirmed at a televised press conference on Friday that the hotel's security team was able to shoot and wound the still unidentified assailant past midnight on Friday.
“Severe blood loss from the gunshot wound significantly slowed the assailant down and resulted to his holing up in a room where he took his own life,” Reilly told reporters on Friday afternoon.
READ: Resorts World gunman dead, says police
In the firefight, two members of the casino’s security identified as Bernard Cajigas and Petronio Kinol Jr. were also wounded.
Reilly said the gunman, who was in "military attire," unloaded a number of shots in the air while approaching the security personnel on the second floor of the mall.
“The security at the door for x-ray screening tried to slow him down but unfortunately could not do so,” the casino executive said.
READ: At least 37 killed due to suffocation in Resorts World attack
Reilly earlier denied that there were security lapses on their part. He noted that only security guards outside the premises are only allowed to carry firearms, while those inside did not carry arms.
"They did not engage because it was seen that that would escalate the situation. Unfortunately, the situation did escalate a bit further," Reilly said in a separate interview earlier today.
Southern Police District Chief Tomas Apolinario echoed the statement of Reilly and added that the gunman was shot in his lower limb.
Screengrab from CCTV footage showing the unidentified gunman in the Resorts World attack. Southern Police District photo
Philippine National Police Director General Ronald dela Rosa earlier lambasted the casino, accusing it of security lapses.
Dela Rosa also confirmed that the responding cops found the charred body of the gunman in a room on the fifth floor of Maxims Hotel inside the Resorts World Manila complex.
The incident claimed 35 lives, of which 22 were guests, while 13 were employees of the casino.
The authorities noted that the deaths were due to suffocation. No one was reported to have died from gunshot wounds.
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