After failing to go home and attend his dead father?s wake, a sergeant went on a shooting rampage at the Army headquarters in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City, killing three of his superiors.

Sgt. Elias Tial of the 12th Special Forces Co. fled after the carnage leaving behind the M-16 rifle he used, said Senior Supt. Camilo Pancratius Cascolan, police chief.

He identified the slain soldiers as 1/Lt. Gerald Fuentes, 31; M/Sgt. Eliseo de la Cruz, 46; and Capt. Dionilo Aragon Jr., 30.

De la Cruz was the intelligence officer and first sergeant while Aragon was the executive officer of the Army?s 12th Special Forces Company.

The unit?s commanding officer, Capt. Benito Ramos, 31, was also wounded in the attack and remained in critical condition at the Makati Medical Center.

Citing statements from officers, Cascolan said Tial had been asking his superiors to allow him to go on a leave of absence to attend to the funeral of his father in his hometown in Iloilo.

Shooting broke out 9:55 p.m. on Wednesday after Tial was issued an Armalite from the supply room for his use in sentinel duty.

On his way to his post, Tial saw the officers gathered inside Barracks 3 of the Army?s Transient Quarters.

?Hindi kayo marunong magpauwi ng sundalong nangangailangan [You don?t know how to treat a soldier in need]!? he was heard to have yelled before opening fire at the surprised soldiers.

Investigation showed that the gun jammed, allowing one Sergeant Miranda the chance to grapple with the weapon until the suspect lost hold of it and ran away.

Cascolan said investigators recovered six empty shells and two live 5.56 mm bullets at the crime scene.

Not a few fellow soldiers were in disbelief over the violence which they deemed unnecessary.

?From what we?ve been told, Sergeant Tial has already been allowed to go on leave at the time he attacked his superiors,? Cascolan said. Ferdinand Fabella