‘Lonely’ inmate shot, killed after stabbing 4 others

Because no one allegedly visited him, an inmate ran amok and stabbed four other inmates inside the Cebu City Jail yesterday dawn.

Glenn Albores, 33, was shot dead by a jail officer when he allegedly tried to stab the guards on duty after he had stabbed the other victims.

“There was a commotion in Ward 4. The ward houses the troublemakers in the jail facility. The on-duty officer went to the cell and there he saw the inmate stabbing his fellow inmates, who were caught unaware because they were sleeping,” Supt. Renante Rubio, Cebu City Jail warden, said.

Albores, who hailed from Butuan City and was serving time for a case of arson, was killed when he allegedly tried to stab the jail officers responding to the commotion. He allegedly used an ice pick.

Jail officers were heeding the calls of inmates inside Ward 4 who were asking for help for the wounded.

Albores, according to the warden, “ran to service gate and those jail officers who were on duty at the gate fired warning shots. But he continued to attack our officers, which prompted one to shoot him. We tried to revive him but to no avail.”

Two inmates were treated inside the city jail while two others were in critical condition and were brought to a hospital, Rubio said. They were identified as Christian Saballa, Marvin Gimpeso, Benjie Pijo, and Richard Gaviola.

“Boryong siguro ni ang una nga nakapadani ani nga mag-attack sa iyang fellow inmates kay wa man gud siya’y dalaw (He must have been going out of his mind because no one’s been visiting him, which prompted him to attack his fellow inmates),” Rubio said.

Rubio assured that the situation is now contained. Visiting rights of families were not suspended, and the other inmates also surrendered their improvised weapons, the jail warden said.

Cebu City Councilor Dave Tumulak encouraged families of inmates to visit their loved ones. “Your presence is important to them. We will also ask a telephone company to please install a line in the facility so that there would still be communication between the inmates and their loved ones.”