Hostage-taker shot, lands in hospital

CEBU, Philippines —  A 24-year-old male landed in the hospital after taking a mother and her daughter hostage in Escaño Street, Barangay Ermita, Cebu City, early dawn Sunday.

Police identified the suspect as Edsan Sanchez Rafols, 24, a resident of Villagonzalo II, Barangay Tejero, Cebu City.

The victims were identified as Rowena Mae Dinopol, 21, a vendor and her mother, Conchita Dinopol, who are residents of Sitio Ubos Pundok, Barangay Basak-Pardo, Cebu City. Conchita is reportedly a bedridden.

According to the police, it was around 2:05 a.m. on Sunday when they received the alarm where they immediately responded led by its station chief, Police Major Kenneth Paul Albotra.

However, when the police arrived, the suspect was assessed to be unruly and armed with a kitchen knife owned by the victims

"Armed with a kitchen knife inside the store owned by the victims and taking them into hostages and threatening to kill if anybody would come closer at the store," the police report reads.

The responding police along with the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) then negotiated with the suspect and tried to calm him down, advising him further to surrender peacefully before the authorities.

"But the suspect refused and ignored it instead, the latter got irked who was on the verge to stab the victims," the police report further reads.

To prevent this, the SWAT team then shot the suspect hitting him on his shoulder.

As the suspect fell down, he was immediately rushed to the hospital for immediate treatment.

The hostages were also reportedly safe. — GMR (FREEMAN)