Hostage-taker in Zamboanga City shot dead

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines — A member of the police Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team shot dead a man who wounded another person in a hacking incident and held a boy hostage in this city on Monday afternoon. 

Chief Inspector Helen Galvez, Zamboanga peninsula police spokesperson, said Albi Mahamod, a resident of Barangay Labuan, hacked Efren Dayrit using a machete and then took Dayrit’s son Christian Clark as hostage. 

Dayrit, who managed to escape, sought police assistance before he was taken to the Zamboanga City Medical Center for treatment.

Galvez said Mahamod was shot in the head when he attempted to attack the boy.  

Police are looking into reports that the suspect was suffering from a mental illness.