Lawyers Who Have Been Shot in the Head
As a lawyer, you often put in long hours and take on challenging assignments. This can leave you feeling depleted and worn-out at the end of each day.
But some people can handle the pressure. One such individual was a lawyer who tragically passed away due to being shot in the head.
John Albert Laylo
On his way to the airport during a visit to America, a lawyer from the Philippines was shot in the head while riding an Uber. John Albert Laylo, 35 years old, and his mother were traveling when someone in a nearby car fired several rounds into their vehicle at a red light near University of Pennsylvania.
Police reported that Laylo was shot in the back of his head and later died at a hospital on Sunday. The shooting occurred around 4:10 a.m. Saturday along South 38th Street in University City.
Philadelphia police reported that Laylo and his mother had just pulled up to a red light when a black car with a gunman pulled up behind them and fired several rounds into their Uber. The gunman then pulled up alongside the driver’s side of the vehicle and fired additional rounds before fleeing.
CBS News reported that Philippine Consul General Elmer Cato visited Laylo at the hospital and expressed his condolences. He expressed shock over what had transpired, calling on authorities to give their “full effort” in investigating the shooting.
Jim Kenney, the mayor of Philadelphia, expressed his grief over the shooting and offered a $20,000 reward for information leading to the capture of the perpetrator. Additionally, Kenney tweeted that “every act of gun violence is an unspeakable tragedy.”
On social media, Laylo’s family and friends shared photos of their trip to the United States. They posted images of landmarks they visited in New York, Washington and Philadelphia.
In a Facebook post, Laylo’s mother spoke of her son as an admirable and compassionate individual. She described him as “a good person with a kind heart” who had been an amazing father to his children.
He had a deep-seated passion for law and had worked as a legislative staffer for Senator Leila De Lima. Additionally, he was currently studying international business law at Central European University in Budapest, Hungary.
Laylo and his mother, Leah Bustamante Laylo, were on their way to the airport when they were shot. While his mother suffered minor injuries from glass shards, Laylo was struck in the head by one of the bullets that had penetrated through their Uber’s window. This tragic event put an end to their vacation in an “horrifying” manner.
Elliot Blair
Last week, Elliot Blair – a public defender with the Orange County Public Defender Office since 2017 – passed away from a “brutal” crime while on vacation in Mexico. According to his family, this shooting left him with permanent scars on his head and no memory of it whatsoever.
On vacation in Rosarito, Baja California with his wife Kimberly Williams (also a public defender), Blair was celebrating their first wedding anniversary. For most of the day they had been at a resort near the Mexican-American border.
After the couple went to bed, a hotel employee came in and informed Williams of Blair’s passing, Barnett reported. At that moment, Williams woke up and looked outside their room to see Blair lying face down on the ground several floors below her.
On the following morning, Barnett reported to hotel staff that her husband had been shot in the head. Upon learning this information, she was provided with an interpreter.
On that same day, a coroner’s liaison informed Blair’s family their case was being investigated as possible homicide and that his death resulted from “severe head trauma,” they were informed. The family was then contacted by Mexican authorities and funeral home representatives who recommended that Blair’s body be cremated.
Barnett revealed to BuzzFeed News that Blair’s family has been advocating for an independent investigation into his death. To that end, they have hired a private investigator and plan to bring in an independent forensic pathologist to conduct toxicology tests on his remains, according to Barnett.
According to a statement on Twitter from the Orange County Public Defender’s office, Blair had been with them since 2017 and his passing has been deeply felt by legal professionals across the region. According to Kate Corrigan of Corrigan, Welbourne and Stokke law firm, Blair was highly-regarded in both offices.
The family is now demanding answers about Blair’s death, which has been marred by conflicting reports from both Mexico’s government and other media outlets. On Wednesday, the Baja California Attorney General Office refuted claims that Blair had suffered a gunshot wound to the head; rather, they quoted an autopsy report from a forensic doctor which determined Blair’s head injury was accidental and not due to any violent cause.
Patrick White
Patrick White was a lawyer tragically shot in the head at his law firm in Goldsboro, North Carolina by a client during mediation. According to sources within the firm, Mr. White pulled out a gun during their session and began shooting at him before taking his own life, according to reports from within.
On Monday afternoon around 4:15 p.m., Goldsboro police reported a shooting at Riddle & Brantley law firm located at 600 North Spence Avenue in Goldsboro.
Gene Riddle, a partner at the law firm, reported that White and his client were in an attorney’s office approximately 20 feet apart when shots were fired.
Riddle reported hearing the sound of a hammer hitting the wall and seeing someone coming toward him with a gun. The shooter fired twice at White before taking his own life.
Uncertainty remains as to what White and the shooter were fighting over. A witness at the scene told WITN that White attempted to disarm Francisco Sanchez, who had been hired by him and his wife.
He’s been described as a “true hero.” One coworker, who asked not to be identified, reported that White pinned the shooter against a wall and attempted to stop him from firing at him.
One coworker present when the shooting occurred said White saved everyone’s life. He has been an amazing husband and father, while his colleagues at the law firm loved him dearly.
He was renowned for his metaphysical novels, which featured vivid landscape descriptions and probing analyses of people’s lives. A strong opponent of literary censorship, White signed a statement opposing Australia’s decision to send troops to Vietnam.
He was a writer of high modernism and metaphysical neo-realist who explored the nature of imagination and our perception in the world. He published twelve novels, three short story collections, and eight plays; in 1973 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.
Carey Gabay
Carey Gabay embodied the American Dream, born to Jamaican immigrants who grew up in public housing and worked his way up from there to become an acclaimed lawyer and respected public servant. Throughout his career, he dedicated himself to fighting for a better New York by championing causes such as violence prevention and economic equality.
After graduating from Harvard Law School, Gabay practiced law in private for several years before entering government service. His efforts to make New York a better place for everyone culminated in him serving as assistant counsel to Governor Andrew Cuomo and first deputy counsel of the Empire State Development Corporation – the state’s economic development agency – with many people assisted along the way.
He was an incredible champion for his community and widely recognized as a kind, caring, hard-working public servant. His legacy will live on in the hearts of so many, making him an inspiration to us all.
On Labor Day last year, Gabay was walking north on Bedford Avenue near Ebbets Field Houses in Crown Heights with his brother and some friends when a gunfight broke out in front of them. They ran to a parking lot between them and the street, ducking near cars when one bullet struck him in the head. He was taken to Kings County Hospital Center but unfortunately passed away a week later.
His death was swiftly followed by the arrest and indictment of three men accused of engaging in mutual combat during the gunfight. Alleyne and Bazile were found guilty of second-degree manslaughter while Elianor was found guilty of first-degree reckless endangerment, according to the Brooklyn District Attorney.
The men were found guilty under a theory called mutual combat, which holds that they all entered into an informal agreement to fight. As they were engaged in heated conversation over a woman, the shooter pulled his pistol and one of his gangmates fired a shot which struck Gabay in the head.
