Manila, April 5: In a first such case, a 63-year-old man was shot dead in the Philippines for flouting coronavirus lockdown. According to a report in Al Jazeera, the elderly man was not wearing a mask and threatened to attack police personnel using a scythe. The incident took place at a checkpoint in Nasipit town in the southern province of Agusan del Norte on Thursday. The man was reportedly drunk. Shoot Them Dead: Philippines President   Rodrigo Duterte Warns Against Violating Coronavirus Lockdown.

"The suspect was cautioned by a village health worker ... for not wearing a face mask. But the suspect got angry, uttering provoking words and eventually attacked the personnel using a scythe," the police report said. Catch all the live news updates related to coronavirus pandemic in India and other parts of the world.

A police officer shot him dead while trying to pacify him. This is the first incident of police shooting a civilian for flouting Coronavirus rules. According to John Hopkins University, The Phillippines has over 3,200 positive cases and 152 deaths due to the deadly virus.

This development comes after President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday said he would order police and military to shoot down those who violate coronavirus lockdown. "My orders to the police and military ... if there is trouble and there's an occasion that they fight back and your lives are in danger, shoot them dead … Instead of causing trouble, I will bury you," he said.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 05, 2020 06:53 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).