Father takes own life after accidentally shooting daughter

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines - A farmer committed suicide by shooting himself after he accidentally shot and killed his daughter Wednesday in the farming village of Bayog town, Zamboanga del Sur, police said.

Police Inspector Gaspar Gadingan, Bayog town police commander, identified the father as Jerry Bulatoc, 35, while his 15-year old daughter was Michael ‘Michel’, both residents of the upland farming village of Purok 3, Barangay Datagan.

Gadingan said the incident occurred about 3:30 p.m. Wednesday when Bulatoc accidentally shot his daughter and committed suicide subsequently. Gadingan said Lilet, the wife of the Bulatoc, told them that she was on an errand to harvest some corns from a distance when she heard two gunshots in their house.

“She rushed back and found her husband lying dead and full of blood with a shotgun on his side in the sala while their daughter was also lying dead in the pool of blood in their adjacent room,” Gadingan said.

Gadingan said further investigation showed that the father was believed to be cleaning his 12-gauge shotgun when it accidentally fired and hit his daughter Michael, who was just on the makeshift adjacent room.

He said based on the findings, Bulatoc appeared to have committed suicide by shooting himself using the same gun.

“It appeared he shot himself by pointing the barrel of the shotgun below his chin and blew his head,” Gadingan said.

Gadingan said investigation continued to determine other possible angle but believed there was no foul play in the incident.