Soldier kills partner, self in Bulacan classroom
An apparent domestic crisis drove a Philippine Army soldier to shoot his live-in partner, a teacher, dead in front of horrified elementary students and later shot himself in Bocaue, Bulacan Wednesday morning.
Ruperto Datwin, 40, of Armed Forces of the Philippines-Philippine National Police (AFP-PNP) Housing in Barangay Batia in Bocaue, Bulacan, shot himself on the head with a .45 caliber pistol, moments after he shot and killed his live-in partner, Melody Santa Teresa Esber, 33, a teacher at Tambubong Elementary School in Brgy. Tambubong, Bocaue.
A nine-year-old student was hit by a stray bullet on the left shoulder and was last listed in stable condition at Santa Maria Hospital.
Senior Superintendent Chito Bersaluna, Bulacan provincial police chief, said Esber was holding classes at around 9 a.m. when Datwin barged into the classroom.
"Itong sundalo pinuntahan ang live-in partner doon sa klase niya. Noong nagkaconfrontation na sila sa loob ng classroom ay bigla na lang po binaril 'yung teacher at pagkatapos ay nagbaril din ang sundalo sa sarili (The soldier proceeded to the class of her live-in partner. They had a confrontation and he later shot the teacher before shooting himself),” Bersaluna said.
The stunned and frightened students rushed out of the classroom, he added.
"Doon po sa crime scene, may table na nandoon yung parang declaration nilang dalawa na parang apparently may problema sila financially (At the crime scene, there was a table where a document indicating their financial problem was recovered),” Bersaluna said.
"May nakalagay din na papel na handwritten na kamatayan lang ang maghihiwalay sa kanila. Apparently, pirmado nilang dalawa ito (There was also a handwritten letter saying only death can separate them. Apparently, they both signed it)," he added.
Further investigation is ongoing.
It was learned that Esber had three children with an ex-husband.
Meanwhile, classes at Tambubong Elementary School were temporarily suspended due to the incident.