PH Extends Condolences to US After 5 Killed in Maryland Shooting; Embassy Reports No Filipinos Among Casualties

29 June 2018 – The Philippines today extended its sympathies to the United States after five persons were killed and several others wounded in a shooting incident in Maryland on Thursday.

The Department of Foreign Affairs said there were no Filipinos reported to be among the fatalities in the shooting at the headquarters of the Capital Gazette newspaper in Annapolis, Maryland.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who lost loved ones in the tragedy in Annapolis,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter S. Cayetano said after he was informed about the incident by the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C.

Ambassador Jose Manuel Romualdez reported that officials at Anne Arundel County have confirmed the death of five individuals and the wounding of several others by a lone suspect who is now under custody.

Ambassador Romualdez said the Embassy is in contact with members of the Filipino Community in the area. So far, he said, there have been no reports of any member of the Filipino Community being among the victims of the incidents.

Based on the Embassy’s estimates, there are more than 7,900 members of the Filipino Community in the Third Congressional District of Maryland, which includes Anne Arundel County. END