Philadelphia mayor apologizes over killing of Pinoy lawyer, offers $20K reward

The mayor of Philadelphia has apologized over the killing of a Filipino lawyer who was shot in the city, and has offered a US$20,000 reward for any tip that will lead to the arrest of the shooter,  Philippine Consul General Elmer Cato said Wednesday.

“I am sorry. It’s terrible,” Cato quoted Mayor Jim Kenney as saying in a meeting at Philadelphia City Hall Tuesday.

The mayor, Cato added, also offered a US$20,000 reward for any information that will lead to the arrest of the gunman who shot John Albert Laylo.

Laylo, 35, and his mother were on their way to the airport to board a flight early Saturday when a man in a nearby car fired several shots into their Uber near the University of Pennsylvania, police said.

Laylo was hit in the back of the head and died later in a hospital.

Cato said Laylo's remains may be repatriated on Tuesday.

Cato said the victim’s mother, Leah, “told me to convey to the mayor her anguish, her anger and her demand for justice.”

Mayor Kenney assured “that everything will be done to bring whoever is responsible for the death of her son to justice," Cato said.

“I also conveyed the great importance the Philippine government places on this case and the hope that authorities would do everything they can to solve the case,” the Philippine diplomat added.

During his meeting with Kenney, who was with two police officers involved in the shooting investigation, Cato said he was informed that "it is mostly likely a case of mistaken identity."

Laylo, who worked for a private company in Manila, previously served as a legislative staffer for opposition Sen. Leila de Lima from 2016 to 2018.

De Lima expressed hope that the gunman would be held accountable “for the brutal and senseless act.”—LDF, GMA News