- A ninth-grade student allegedly shot a schoolmate dead at Ateneo de Zamboanga University in the Philippines.
- Authorities said the suspect livestreamed the attack on social media before taking his own life.
- Police are investigating the motive, source of the firearm and how it was brought onto the school campus.
A ninth-grade student allegedly shot and killed a schoolmate before taking his own life in a school shooting at Ateneo de Zamboanga University in the Philippines on Tuesday.
Eko Hot Blog reports that the incident occurred at the Catholic private university in Zamboanga City, western Mindanao, making it the second school shooting reported in the country within two months.
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According to authorities, the suspect entered the classroom where the victim was located and opened fire before moving to another part of the school and fatally shooting himself.
Regional police spokeswoman Shella Chang said authorities were working to establish the circumstances surrounding the attack.
“What we know so far is that the shooter went to the classroom of our known victim. He shot the victim, and after doing that, he went up to the fifth floor and shot himself,” Chang told AFP.
The Philippine Interior Secretary, Victor Remulla, separately confirmed that the suspect had livestreamed the incident on social media.
The alleged shooter’s Facebook account has since been disabled.
Local media circulated footage reportedly showing the suspect moving through a school hallway with a firearm before entering a classroom. Students could be heard screaming as they attempted to leave the area.
Authorities had not immediately released the number of people who may have been injured in the incident.
The Philippine National Police said investigations were underway to determine the motive behind the shooting, establish who owned the firearm and trace how the weapon was brought into the school.
Police had also not released the ages of either the suspect or the victim.
Ateneo de Zamboanga University President, Father Guillrey Andal, confirmed the two deaths and said the institution was cooperating with investigators.
Andal said the university was working with police to identify those involved so that their families could be formally informed.
He added that the incident had caused significant concern within the school community, noting that the institution had already been preparing an active-shooter simulation exercise because of growing concerns about campus safety.
The latest shooting comes just weeks after another attack at a school in the central Philippines in which three teenage students were killed and about 20 others wounded.
Following that incident, Ateneo de Zamboanga was among several schools across the country that conducted active-shooter drills to prepare students and staff for potential emergencies.
School shootings remain relatively uncommon in the Philippines, where legal ownership of firearms is tightly regulated. However, authorities have continued to express concerns over the availability of weapons through illegal markets.
Police are expected to continue questioning witnesses and examining evidence as they seek to determine what led to Tuesday’s attack.
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