Canadian gunman kills two in Philippine court

A Canadian man shot dead two people including a lawyer in a Philippines courtroom Tuesday, using a pistol he smuggled inside the court as he went on trial for petty mischief, police said.

The Canadian man shot a local doctor who sued him, as well as the doctor's lawyer, and then turned the pistol on other people in the courtroom in the central city of Cebu, injuring a government prosecutor.

The suspect, who was not named, was also shot and wounded in the melee, regional police chief Marcelo Garbo said on local DZBB radio.

"We are investigating how the suspect managed to bring in the gun," Garbo said.

"Two people were killed, while two were wounded, including the Canadian," he said.

He gave no other details about the criminal case against the Canadian man.

The incident came amid public debate over stricter gun control laws in the Philippines, following a spate of high profile gun-related deaths this month.