(4 of 6)
At the terminal building, Aquino's well-wishers waited, carrying banners with slogans like WE LOVE YOU, NINOY and HINDI KA NAG-HSA, NINOY (You're not alone, Ninoy). As dazed passengers from Flight 811 filed into the terminal, one of them recounted the shooting to former Senator Salvador Laurel, an opposition leader who headed the welcoming throng. "I have sad news for you," Laurel quickly told the crowd of Aquino supporters through a bullhorn. "Ninoy, our beloved, is back, but you might not be able to see him. Eyewitnesses say he has been shot." Aquino's sister Tessie broke into sobs; his mother took the news stoically. The crowd dispersed, and the Aquino family arrived at home in time to hear a radio announcement that Ninoy was dead on arrival at Fort Bonifacio military hospital.
In the absence of any coherent accounts of the shooting, the capital began buzzing with rumors. Marcos was seriously ill or already dead, went one version, and the military had killed Aquino as part of a coup d'état. A power outage throughout much of the island of Luzon, where Manila is located, was attributed to sabotage. There were reports of bombings and arson, a run on the banks, even a spree of panic buying in grocery stores and at gas stations. Finally Marcos, whose absence from public view for two weeks had helped fuel all the speculation, called a news conference Monday night, 30 hours after the killing. Reiterating that he had "practically begged" Aquino not to come home, the President asserted that the airport security guards had tried, using their bodies, to shield Aquino from the assassin. The still unidentified killer apparently was a professional and, Marcos said, got "within 16 to 18 inches" of his victim. He was armed with a Smith and Wesson .357 magnum and fired one shot. Later, officials provided more details. The assassin was 5 ft. 6 in. tall, between 30 and 35 years old and weighed 170 Ibs. He carried no identification. The only clues were a gold ring, engraved with the letter R, nd the name Roily sewn in his shorts.
Given the extraordinary security around the airport, the explanation raised more questions than it answered. "How was it that the assassin knew exactly ere to wait for Senator Aquino?" demanded Laurel in an emotional speech before parliament. "How was it that he was allowed to approach the plane?" Laurel also wondered about the three men who escorted Aquino off the plane. "What are their names, to what units do they belong, and who are their commanders?"