Filipino lawyer shot in Philly dies
AFILIPINO lawyer who was shot on the way to a Philadelphia airport last Saturday has succumbed to his injuries, his sister said on social media.
The family of lawyer John Albert “Jal” Laylo, a victim of a random shooting in the Pennsylvania capital over the weekend, will donate his organs.
Laylo’s mother, Leah, said in a social media post that her son passed away at 10:33 a.m. Sunday (US time) at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center in West Philadelphia, where they were both taken after the shooting incident along 38th and Spruce Streets in University City, Philadelphia.
They were onboard an Uber vehicle on their way to the airport to catch their flight to Chicago.
Leah said the incident happened at 4:06 a.m., with Laylo struck with a bullet to the head while she sustained wounds from the car’s broken glass.
Althea Ann, Laylo’s sister, said in a tweet Monday that they find peace in the thought that “somewhere in the world, a piece of him is alive and breathing”.
“He will do anything in his power to help. So as one final mission, he will be donating his organs to those who need it,” Althea Ann’s tweet read.
Based on initial police reports received by the Philippine Consulate in New York, the vehicle was shot at from behind by still unknown suspects, who then pulled over to the Uber driver’s side and fired more rounds before fleeing.
Laylo was first reported already dead by incoming Department of Migrant Workers Secretary Susan Ople to Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Teodoro Locsin, but his family later corrected that he was on life support.
The family found a semblance of hope when Laylo “squeezed my mom’s hand three times and started mildly breathing on his own”, according to a tweet by Althea Ann on Sunday night.
“I thank God for the 35 years of his life. I’m beyond grateful for having a good, smart, generous, loving, caring son. These are the adjectives I can think of now,” she posted on Facebook.
Leah is thankful that she was with her son on his last days and made sure they had fun.
“We traveled together, and we are supposed to go home together! I will bring him home soon in a box! My son has a lot of dreams a lot of plans, hopes, and everything! He’s gone now. I can’t explain the pain the heaviness I have in my heart. It took me hours to post this because still, I can’t believe this happened!” she added.
Althea Ann said she is uncertain how to go on each day without her brother.
“It’s debilitating, frightening, to say the least, but as his frequent reminder goes, I will be strong. If not for me, for my kuya (elder brother). To my kuya, you are the love of my life and no one can take that away from you,” she said on Facebook.