Filipino doctor shot by own patient in Las Vegas

MANILA, Philippines - A Filipino female doctor on Monday was killed by one of her own patients in Las Vegas, Nevada, an online report said on Wednesday. KTNV said Dr. Edna Makabenta was inside her office at the Charleston area in Las Vegas when she was shot by her patient, who then committed suicide. The report identified the patient as Eliseo Santos, apparently also a Filipino. Santos had reportedly filed previously an informal, non-descript complaint about her and several other doctors with the medical board but police are still investigating whether that was his motive. Dr. Benito Calderon, Makabenta's friend for seven years, didn't hear the shots fired but said that he wouldn't be able to forget the sound of his phone ringing moments after the incident. "Suddenly, I was shocked. I stopped seeing patients for 30 minutes until I had my composure back," he said in the report. Apparently, Calderon had earlier met Santos. "It just so happened this patient was seen by me in 2005 in the hospital, never showed any signs of anything," he said. This, he said, was the reason why he was afraid to see any patient after the shooting, even asking his staff if the people waiting for him showed any signs of agitation. Calderon said the Filipino community in Las Vegas will miss Makabenta. "Every time you see her, she would just smile and say hi. She always would greet you nicely. Nobody in the Filipino community could ever say anything bad about her," he said. A vigil for the deceased doctor also took place at the area where she was shot on Wednesday evening. - Kimberly Jane T. Tan, GMANews.TV