- In Manila, the capital of the Philippines, a disgruntled gunman claiming he had a live grenade took over a mall for 10 hours on Monday.
- He held as many as 70 people hostage and shot one person, who is in stable condition.
- Unusually, after releasing the hostages, he had an impromptu news conference for 20 minutes explaining why he took the mall hostage.
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A disgruntled former security guard held dozens of people hostage in a mall in the Philippines on Monday. Afterward he told journalists exactly why he’d done it in an unusual press conference.
Archie Paray, 31, was recently fired from V-Mall in San Juan City in Metro Manila after failing to show up for work after security guards’ shifts were changed. On Monday, he entered his former workplace, shot another security guard, and then took as many as 70 people hostage.
The mall was evacuated. Police and SWAT officers promptly arrived. The situation was taken seriously. Authorities wanted to avoid a repeat of several other deadly attacks in the Philippines in recent years.
For 10 hours, Paray communicated with the authorities and the media. He showed both the hostages and a grenade, via a video call. The police haven’t confirmed he had a real grenade.
By the evening, all of the hostages were released unharmed. But what was unusual was that after releasing the hostages Paray was given a chance - 20 minutes - to voice his concerns to the media. He took journalists' questions and accused the mall's security of being corrupt. He was then tackled by the police and taken into custody.
Here's how it happened, in photos.
At about 10 a.m. on Monday, a former security guard named Archie Paray opened fire in V-Mall in San Juan City, based in the Philippine capital of Manila.
Sources: The New York Times, Al Jazeera
Paray shot a security guard, who was taken to a hospital and was later in stable condition. Then, he entered administrative offices on the second floor and took 30 to 70 people hostage. They were mostly employees.
Sources: Al Jazeera, USA Today
Other people in the mall heard the shots and evacuated. Hundreds of shoppers and employees managed to get out. The police closed the mall off.
Sources: The New York Times, Al Jazeera
More than a dozen SWAT commandos swiftly surrounded the mall, armed with long guns.
Source: Time
In the Philippines, malls are a community center, filled with food courts, shopping, medical centers, and churches, according to Al Jazeera.
Source: Al Jazeera
While hostage events aren't common in the Philippines, in 2010 a disgruntled former police officer took over a busload of tourists from Hong Kong and died in a gunfight along with eight civilians.
Source: Al Jazeera
More recently, in 2017 a gunman entered a mall-casino, also in Manila. He set gambling tables alight, which killed 36 people, primarily from smoke inhalation.
Source: NBC News
The authorities did not want a repeat of either of these tragedies.
While the entrances were all closed, people gathered outside the mall, waiting to see what would happen.
Relatives of the hostages arrived, too. As the day went on, more information became available.
Source: The New York Times
Mayor Francis Zamora of San Juan City told reporters that Paray "felt bad because he was removed as a guard." Zamora also said he had called for his former coworkers to join him, but no one did.
Source: Time
Throughout the day, journalists and officials had a direct connection to Paray, via his walkie-talkie and a video call.
Source: Al Jazeera
The video showed what he claimed was a live grenade, but there's been no confirmation it was real.
Source: ABC News
He also showed the hostages on the video call. He told reporters, "Just wait, they will come out alive."
Source: Al Jazeera
SWAT entered the mall at some point during the day.
Source: ABC News
Even so, the authorities spent hours on the phone with Paray, asking for him to give up the hostages. In the early evening, in an attempt to appease him, six of the officers, who ran the mall's security, apologized and resigned or offered to resign.
Sources: Al Jazeera, ABC News
Paray said he would release the hostages as long as no one tried to trick him. After his safety was guaranteed, he kept his word. In the evening, the hostages filed out.
Source: Los Angeles Times
Then, instead of being bundled into a van and taken to prison, Paray led an impromptu news conference for 20 minutes.
Source: The New York Times
He accused the mall's security-guard roster of corruption and said he was the "fall guy," according to The New York Times.
Source: The New York Times
He took questions from reporters.
But when he reached for something in his waist band, the police descended on him, tackling him to the ground.
Source: The New York Times
He was subdued.
The police took him away.
It was an unusual ending to a hostage situation. Zamora told reporters: "What is important is that we had zero casualties. That was what we wanted. That the hostages can all go out safe."
Source: The New York Times
