A police officer in the Philippines has died after he dropped to the ground to hug a live grenade in an attempt to shield students from the explosion.
According to report, the incident happened on Thursday inside Initao College at around 11:20 am where an amok pulled the pin as Police Senior Master Sergeant Jason Magno and Master Sergeant Alice Balido tried, in vain, to subdue him.
Left with no recourse, Magno grabbed the grenade and hugged it till it exploded, turning himself into a human shield against the blast. He was declared dead at the hospital.
“He embraced the grenade. He dropped to cover the grenade so the impact wouldn’t be strong,” Rappler’s Rambo Talabong quoted Police Captain Princess Velarde, spokesperson of the Misamis Oriental Provincial Police Office, as saying.
The explosion also wounded his colleague and some 10 students and teachers in the area. Police have reported that the injured are in stable condition.
