Philippines: Manila shopping mall on lockdown as sacked security guard shoots one and takes dozens hostage

Adisgruntled ex-security guard who shot one and kept dozens of shoppers hostage at a mall in the Philippines has released his captives.After a day-long standoff with police, the sacked employee of the V-Mall in Manila's San Juan City, walked out of the centre surrendering to officers positioned outside.The gunman, a former guard of the complex, was allowed to speak to reporters and authorities to outline his grievances against his former superiors, whom he accused of corruption and abuse, before police approached and subdued him. He had opened fire in the capital's upmarket commercial district on Monday before midday local time, shooting a mall officer, as he tried to enter the administration office.

The victim was taken to a nearby hospital and was in a stable condition.He then rushed to the second floor of the mall where he took more than 30 people captive, mostly employees, inside the retail centre as he warned he had a grenade, according to the city's mayor Francis Zamora.Mr Zamora said: «He is carrying a pistol. He is shouting he has a grenade but we don't have any way to confirm that for sure.»«He was trying to initially to get the other guards to join him for some sort of coup d'etat against the mall management,» Mr Zamora told news channel ANC.«He felt bad because he was removed as a guard,» he added.Philippines: Manila V-Mall shootingThe armed man has expressed anger over a change in his work hours and accused his superiors of corruption.He was apparently dismissed from work after abandoning his job in recent weeks without notifying management.Armed police and negotiators surrounded the mall and were trying to end the standoff peacefully.​A SWAT team was seen entering the four-storey mall, which has more than 100 outlets.