Sacked security guard holds dozens hostage at Philippine mall

FILE PHOTO: A man wearing a mask to prevent contracting the coronavirus walks past a branch of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony in Daegu, South Korea February 21, 2020. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji/File Photo

MANILA (Reuters) - A Philippine security guard, sacked from his job at a shopping mall in the capital, Manila, shot a man and took dozens of people hostage on Monday, as police and negotiators tried to end the standoff.The man entered the administration office of V-Mall in Manila's San Juan City armed with a pistol and was shouting that he was carrying a grenade, according to mayor Francis Zamora. The man that he shot was stable in hospital, he added.

The gunman, Archie Paray, later gave assurances that the hostages would be released without harm, provided that the authorities did not try to trick him.