Philippines school shooting results in the deaths of two students, one of whom is the gunman

Two students lost their lives in a shooting at a high school in the southern Philippines, including the student who initiated the attack.

The incident occurred on Tuesday at a school connected to Ateneo de Zamboanga University in Zamboanga City, where a Grade 9 student allegedly entered the campus with a pistol and a rifle, discharging the weapon inside a classroom.

As per an initial police report, the shooter took the life of a male Grade 10 student before ending his own. Two additional students were injured in the incident.

Footage broadcasted depicted students seeking refuge within a classroom while multiple gunshots echoed in the background.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has directed law enforcement agencies to conduct an investigation into the shooting and to identify measures aimed at preventing violence in schools.

Our schools are the places where we place our trust in our children to learn, grow, and envision the futures that await them. “They must also rank among the safest places in our country,” Marcos stated.

The incident marks the second school shooting reported in the Philippines within a span of less than two months.

In June, at least three students lost their lives and around 20 others were injured when two students opened fire at a public high school in Tacloban City, located in the central Philippines.

School shootings are infrequent in the country, which enforces regulations on gun ownership, such as background checks and psychological evaluations.

Nonetheless, illegal firearms continue to be present in circulation.

Footage captured students and parents congregating outside the school, as armed police officers and soldiers were stationed around the premises. Crime scene investigators were observed arriving at the school.

The school is a five-story building situated on an eight-hectare site that accommodates grade school and junior high school students, as stated on its website.

The shooting took place fewer than 10 days following another school shooting in Thailand, where a student allegedly carried out a shooting spree at a school near Bangkok.