A Filipino lawyer died on Sunday, June 19, after he was shot while visiting his family in Philadelphia, USA.
The victim was identified as Atty. John Albert Laylo, 35, of Makati City.
In a tweet by Philippine Consul General in New York Elmer Cato, Laylo was on his way to the airport with his mother last Saturday to catch their flight to Chicago when the vehicle they were riding in was suddenly fired at.
One of the six bullets hit Laylo's head.
His mother sustained minor wounds from the shattered glass of the car's windows, Cato added.
In a Facebook post, his mother, Leah Bustamante Laylo, described Laylo as a “good, smart, generous, loving, caring son."
“Before he left, he made sure we had fun..... We traveled together and we are supposed to go home together,” she wrote.
“My son has a lot of dreams, lot of plans, hopes, and everything! He’s gone now!” she added.
Laylo's sister, Thea, said her brother will donate his organs to those who need them.
"His demise is tragic, there is no debate on that. There is nothing that could ever justify how cruel this situation is, but as we think about him, please remember that my brother is as a brilliant man. He is nothing short of exceptional,” she said in a Twitter post.
"My brother may no longer be with us, but I shall find peace in the thought that at least somewhere in the world, a piece of him is alive and beating," she said.
No arrests have been made yet.
Cato, meanwhile, assured that they remain in touch with police authorities in Philadelphia.
“We are saddened by the death of a kababayan in a random shooting incident in Philadelphia. We ask our kababayan to join us in praying for the eternal repose of his soul,” he said.
“We call on authorities to bring the perpetrator of this crime to justice,” he added.