Elderly Man Kills Wife, Grandson, Self During Mental Health Center Visit

A man shot and killed his wife, grandson before turning the gun on himself. The incident took place inside one of the wards in the National Center for Mental Health (NCMH) in the Philippines on Thursday afternoon.

Police said the 88-year-old man and his 78-year-old wife were at the facility to visit their grandson, a 27-year-old psychiatric patient. A few minutes into the visit, the man pulled out his gun and shot his grandson before shooting his wife. He then shot himself in the head. While the elderly man and his grandson were pronounced dead on the spot, the woman died a few hours later while undergoing emergency treatment at a nearby hospital.

Investigation revealed that the man and his wife frequently visited the grandson because of which the security guards were familiar with them. The man managed to sneak in a .45 pistol concealed in a brown envelope, which the officers recovered from the scene along with a live bullet in its chamber and five spent shells. Initial probe revealed that the three were having an argument when the incident took place. The names of the victims were not revealed, local website Rappler reported.

In a statement Thursday evening, the Department of Health (DOH), which supervises the facility, said the Philippine National Police was investigating the incident and the NCMH was fully cooperating with it.

"We are saddened by the tragic event that unfolded at the National Center for Mental Health (NCMH) and we offer our condolences to the family of the victims. Due to the sensitivities of the issue involving the patient, we ask for privacy for the bereaved family,” the DOH said, CNN reported.

"The NCMH is committed to ensuring the safety of its patients and staff and is taking measures to tighten security at the hospital. We can confirm that no other patients and NCMH staff were hurt or involved in the incident. The hospital is in full operation and functioning normally," the statement added.