Jim Gomez
Associated Press
John Albert Lello
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The mayor of Philadelphia expressed shock and grief over a Filipino lawyer who was shot dead in the city and offered a $20,000 reward for information that would lead to the shooter’s arrest, a top Philippine diplomat said .
John Albert Laylo and his mother went to the airport to board a plane on June 18 when
Police said someone in a nearby car fired several shots at their Uber when they ran a red light near the University of Pennsylvania. Lailo was shot in the back of the head and died in hospital the next day.
“I’m sorry. It’s horrible,” Philippine Consul General Elmer Cato quoted Mayor Jim Kenney as telling him at a Philadelphia City Hall meeting, apologizing for Lalo’s family and the Philippines. He said the mayor told him that a $20,000 reward would be offered for any information that would lead to the shooter’s arrest.
The victim’s mother Leah Laylo “told me to convey her pain, anger and her demands for justice” to the mayor, while Kenny pledged “everything will be done to bring those responsible for her son’s death to justice” ,” Cato told The Associated Press.
“I also conveyed that the Philippine government attaches great importance to this case and hope that the authorities will do everything possible to resolve the case,” he said.
Lailo, 35, was last working for a private company in Manila, Cato said. He also served on the legislative staff of opposition Senator Leila De Lima from 2016 to 2018 before leaving to pursue graduate studies. De Lima had earlier said he wanted a suspect to be held “responsible for this barbaric and senseless act” immediately.
When Cato met with Kenny, two officers involved in the investigation of the shooting, “we were told it was likely a case of misidentification,” Cato did not elaborate. He added that police were analyzing video footage that showed vehicles, including a black Cadillac, near the car carrying Laylo and his mother shortly before or around the attack.
Cato said Kenny expressed concern about the proliferation of guns that have led to fatal shootings in the United States.
Kenny tweeted that he was shocked by the “senseless” shooting. “Every act of gun violence is an unspeakable tragedy,” he wrote, while calling on anyone with information about a shooting to contact police.
Philadelphia, along with other large U.S. cities, is experiencing a surge in gun violence. In one notable incident on June 4, a shootout took place in the South Street entertainment district, about three miles from the shooting that killed Laylo, killing three people and wounding several others.
Laylo’s mother, who was slightly injured by shards of glass during filming, posted on Facebook that she was on vacation with her son. She shared photos of her tour with her son in New York, Washington and Philadelphia.
