Tragedy at Philippine School as Student Is Killed in Rare Shooting
A grade 10 student was shot dead at a high school in the southern Philippines on Tuesday before the alleged shooter took his own life, according to police.
The attack took place at Ateneo de Zamboanga University, a Catholic private institution in western Mindanao — the country’s second school shooting in as many months. Police said a ninth-grade student brought a pistol and rifle onto campus and opened fire inside a classroom before turning the gun on himself. The number of injuries was not immediately clear.
Video circulated on social media appeared to show the shooting unfold from a first-person perspective, moving down a hallway before entering a classroom. Students in uniform were seen screaming and fleeing. The alleged shooter’s Facebook account has since been taken down.
Zamboanga City mayor Khymer Olaso said the footage showed the shooter firing first at a teacher before moving to another room and shooting a student. The school confirmed two fatalities and said it had coordinated with parents and guardians to ensure students’ safety.
Police say the motive remains under investigation.
School shootings are uncommon in the Philippines, though three teenage students were killed and 20 others wounded in a separate incident in the central Philippines this past June. Ateneo de Zamboanga had conducted active shooter drills just last month.
Gun ownership is tightly regulated in the country, but officials note a significant black market for firearms persists.
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