Gun slips from manager’s hand, fires; bullet hits, kills helper

Nelsas Sabarita, a plant manager of a construction company in Barangay Labogon, Mandaue City surrenders to police after he accidentally kills his helper with his unlicensed .45 caliber pistol. | Norman Mendoza

MANDAUE CITY, Cebu, Philippines — A 40-year old plant helper was accidentally shot and killed by his manager in Barangay Labogon, Mandaue City around 7:30 p.m. today, April 5, 2020.

Oliver Ho of Bogo City in northern Cebu suffered a gunshot wound in the stomach and died on the way to the hospital, said Police Staff Sergeant Glenn Bordalba, investigator of the case.

Bordalba of the Basak Police Station said the suspect Nelsas Sabarita, 32, of Barangay Lagtang, Talisay City in southern Cebu surrendered to the Basak Police Station after the accidental shooting.

According to the initial investigation, which was based on the allegations of Sabarita, showed that Sabarita was playing with his unlicensed .45 caliber pistol at their plant in the barangay.

Both Sabarita and Ho works at a construction company, which has a plant in the barangay and has been working on a road in the barangay.

Sabarita told police that he wanted to show Ho how to use the pistol when it slipped from his hand and fired when it hit the ground.

The bullet hit the stomach of the victim, who fell to the ground.

Sabarita said that they rushed the victim to the hospital for treatment, but Ho, who was a stay-in worker at the plant, did not reach the hospital alive.

Sabarita later surrendered to the Basak Police Station and turned over his unlicensed firearm to the police.

He is currently detained at the police station pending the filing of charges.

Bordalba said they were conducting further investigation to get more information from witnesses on what really happened that led to the death of the plant helper./dbs