HIGH ROLLER IDENTIFIED AS HOTEL ATTACKER
Suspect had allegedly racked up debts of about P4M, was banned from all Pagcor outlets
Police have identified the lone gunman in the Resorts World Manila attack that killed 38 people as a heavily indebted high roller who had been barred by casino operator Philippine Amusement Gambling and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) from all its outlets.
Jessie Javier Carlos, 42, a resident of San Lazaro, Metro Manila, had allegedly racked up debts of about P4 million, said National Capital Region Police Office Director Oscar Albayalde in a press conference Sunday, June 4.
Albayalde reiterated that the Resorts World incident was "not an act of terrorism," but the work of one man who was hooked on gambling and apparently resented Pagcor.
"This incident is confined to the act of one man alone as we have always said," Albayalde said.
He said Carlos was a high roller with a minimum bet of P40,000. He was a former Department of Finance (DOF) employee.
He and his wife were estranged because of his gambling problem, although they have continued to live in the same house. He left behind three children.
Albayalde said Carlos had sold off property to support his gambling habit of at least several years, including a vehicle. His family had grown so concerned they had asked casinos in Metro Manila to ban Carlos since April 3. Carlos was not a regular patron of Resorts World, but had frequented a different casino in Metro Manila.
The suspect's parents, who were also at the press conference held by Albayalde, identified Carlos and asked for forgiveness on behalf of their son.
Carlos, armed with a baby armalite and about two liters of gasoline, set fire to gambling tables inside the Resorts World Manila before dawn Friday, June 2, and took P113.1 million worth of gambling chips.
When the smoke cleared, 37 bodies were found on the casino's gambling floors. The victims died from suffocation, police said. Carlos was later found in an adjacent hotel, his body charred. He had apparently set himself on fire as well.
Authorities have repeatedly dismissed a claim of responsibility by the Islamic State group for the Resorts World attack.