Filipino actress and singer Kim Chiu was recently involved in a frightening incident in which her van was shot at. Kim is safe, and has opened up about the experience on social media and in an interview.
According to CNN Philippines, two unidentified gunmen fired six shots on Kim’s van Wednesday morning in Quezon City, Philippines. The 29-year-old says she was asleep in the car, and was woken by the bullets.
Kim Chiu ‘Scared’ After Shooting Incident
Kim Chiu, as well as her personal assistant Mayrin Nasara and her driver Wilfredo Taberna, were unharmed in the shooting.
“I was scared, of course. I was going to work, going to my taping, and then all of a sudden waking up with my car being shot at. So, I don’t know what was happening. I don’t know if I have an enemy but as far as I know I have none. It was just a normal taping day for me where I drove out of my village and then… nothing… I was just taking a nap. I was supposed to read my script but I felt sleepy after just coming out of the village so I lay down,” Kim added.
She added, “They rained bullets on the car, eight bullets. Yeah, then I saw one of the bullets lying on top.”
“I saw this bullet on the windshield where my head is laying,” Kim recalled of the incident. “I was thinking that it’s a good thing I was lying down. What if I was awake and continued reading my script? I was so scared, I don’t know what to feel right now.”
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Kim believes it may have been a case of “mistaken identity,” saying she has “no enemies.” Police are reportedly looking into this angle, and gathering evidence from security footage.
In an interview about the experience, Kim can be seen crying. She says a few things in English, including that she was “scared,” and that “life is really precious.”
Kim Chiu Posts Photos From Shooting On Instagram
Kim posted photos of the shooting’s aftermath on Instagram. They show broken windows and bullet casings in the van. The actress thanked people for checking in with her, writing, “Papa Jesus protected us.”
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Those outside the Philippines might not be familiar with Kim’s work, but she’s a prolific actress and singer who has appeared in many film and television projects from a young age. She currently appears in the Filipino TV series Love Thy Woman.
Kim has also recorded three albums since 2007. Marcelito Pomoy, who appeared on AGT: Champions this year, named her as his celebrity crush after winning Pilipinas Got Talent in 2011. We’re glad Kim and the people who were with her are safe.
Kim Chiu Interview transcript
UNEDITED: Kim Chiu shares realization after shooting incident | ABS-CBN News
INTERVIEWER: Why can’t you seem to hold back your tears?
KIM CHIU: (Sobbing) I was scared, of course. I was going to work, going to my taping, and then all of a sudden waking up with my car being shot at. So, I don’t know what was happening. I don’t know if I have an enemy but as far as I know, I have none. It was just a normal taping day for me where I drove out of my village and then… nothing… I was just taking a nap. I was supposed to read my script but I felt sleepy after just coming out of the village so I lay down. Had I not felt sleepy and continued reading the script, maybe I would have been hit here (holding her right shoulder). So…
INTERVIEWER: It was really on your side, Kim?
KIM CHIU: They rained bullets on the car, eight bullets. Yeah, then I saw one of the bullets lying on top of the windshield. So, that’s it. I’m scared.
INTERVIEWER: What was… the moment when you heard the shots, initially, did you wake up right away, Kim?
KIM CHIU: The sound of the gunshot was small. As in, it was a thin sound. And then I said, “What was that? What’s happening?” Then, I went and talked to my driver and my P.A. (personal assistant), they said the car was shot. Then I looked at them and asked if they were both okay, because my driver, on his side of the windshield was already perforated by bullets. They said they were okay and asked me if I was okay. I told them I was okay. Then, when I sat down, I saw the bullet holes in the windows that… shucks, if I hadn’t lie down I would really had been hit, which is… I hadn’t done anything wrong… I don’t have… I just don’t know what’s happening.
INTERVIEWER: Immediately, after checking on your companions and you have already checked yourself and saw your surroundings, what did you do next?
KIM CHIU: I called my Ate (elder sister). I told her my car was shot. There were a lot of people I called up, because I didn’t know what to do. I was inside my vehicle, and there were already a lot of police outside…
INTERVIEWER: Oh, there were already policemen outside?
KIM CHIU: There were already MMDAs (Metropolitan Manila Development Authority). So, that’s it… that’s it… I don’t know anymore. After that, it was like I got “hung”.
INTERVIEWER: Okay. Immediately… how were you able to leave the scene? Did anybody pick you up?
KIM CHIU: My other driver picked me up. I told him to fetch me. And then, my instinct was to go to my taping. We shot two scenes.
INTERVIEWER: You still shot two scenes?
KIM CHIU: Yeah. I was wearing this. So, maybe it was just my adrenaline rush, “C’mon, let’s go to the taping, let’s work.” And people were asking me how I am. (Starts crying) I don’t know. They were asking me, “How are you?” And I thought, “Hey, that’s right! How am I?”
INTERVIEWER: You forgot about yourself?
KIM CHIU: Yeah, that’s it. I’m just scared why those things are happening.
INTERVIEWER: Up to now, are you still thinking “who’s the culprit… is there someone antagonistic to me? When there’s no one…”
KIM CHIU: Yeah, I’m thinking if maybe the shooter just made a mistake… or… or maybe he just shot at the wrong vehicle? I really don’t know. I don’t mean harm to anybody.
INTERVIEWER: Right.
KIM CHIU: I’m just thankful that the bullets didn’t hit anyone of us.
INTERVIEWER: Right, right.
KIM CHIU: That’s it. That’s it. I’ll just leave it all up to God, those two men.
INTERVIEWER: Yes. So now, Kim, what are the steps that you are taking?
KIM CHIU: Oh, Mr. M (Johnny Manahan) and Star Magic are helping me now. Also Tita Cory and Sir Carlo… Sir Mark and the whole ABS-CBN are now giving me support. And we have already talked to a lawyer, and have talked to the QCPD (Quezon City Police Dept.) about the CCTVs.
INTERVIEWER: Right, right.
KIM CHIU: There are a lot of people helping out… which is, I’m very happy about.
INTERVIEWER: And Kim, do you have any idea if there is anyone who’s holding a grudge against you to be able to do something like this to you?
KIM CHIU: My God! Is it me? Oh my God, Lord! No one.
INTERVIEWER: Okay.
KIM CHIU: I guess, all I can say is life is really precious, because even if you’re not sick, or no one is mad at you, if you got hit by that bullet, you’d probably be a goner.
INTERVIEWER: Right, right. Were you thinking that this is just like a scene in a series (TV series)?
KIM CHIU: I don’t know, it’s like I’m in “Probinsyano” (a popular TV series), my God. (Laughs) I don’t know what it is that’s happening to me, but this is my first time to hear a shootout.
INTERVIEWER: Just like that, eight shots in succession, right? There were a lot of people who were concerned about you, a lot of fans who were worried, friends inside and outside the industry, what do you want to say?
KIM CHIU: I’m very happy and very thankful, I received more than one hundred messages and my cellphone had endless calls. So, I just want to say I’m safe and I’m thankful that they are concern about me. And I hope they find the culprit who shot my car.
INTERVIEWER: Okay.