Army man jumps to death in QC

A shell-shocked Army sergeant died yesterday after jumping from the seventh floor of the AFP Medical Center in V. Luna, Quezon City.

Staff Sergeant Rex Salum, 34, died on the spot from a broken skull and fractured bones.

The victim was a patient in the psychiatric ward. The incident happened at about 9 p.m.

Ma. Victoria Palatoc, physician on duty at the psychiatric unit, said the victim seemed to be so frightened before he jumped from the building. He was heard shouting that he feared the evil spirits in the psychiatric ward.

Doctors believe the victim again suffered a panic attack after remembering the horrors of battle he had recently gone through in Mindanao.

They said his traumatic experience in the Mindanao battles against Muslim rebels had caused his mental disorder.

Doctors said the victim hit the ground head first. – Pia Lee-Bargo