In a tragic incident at a high school campus in southern Philippines, a student armed with two pistols fatally shot a fellow student before taking his own life on Tuesday. The harrowing attack, which was live-streamed using a body-worn camera, marked the second lethal school shooting in the country within a span of two months.
Following the gunfire at the Ateneo de Zamboanga university campus in Zamboanga city, where the incident unfolded, hundreds of students were swiftly evacuated. Two additional individuals sustained injuries during the violent episode, as reported by police and city authorities.
The perpetrator, identified as Grade 9 student Mohammad Mael Jalani, initially targeted a teacher in a classroom but missed, proceeding to shoot a student on the fourth floor before tragically ending his own life on the fifth floor.
Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla disclosed that the assailant live-streamed the attack on Facebook Live, with snippets capturing his ascent up the stairs before the violence ensued. Investigations are set to delve into the perpetrator’s gaming and chat histories to fathom the motives behind the shocking event.
Zamboanga City Mayor Khymer Adan Olaso confirmed the suspect’s self-inflicted gunshot wound. The high school building, where the disturbing incident occurred, stands within a secured section of the university campus, prompting Ateneo to suspend classes across all levels for two days in the aftermath of the tragedy.
Despite the presence of security measures, the incident serves as a stark reminder of the prevalence of firearm-related crimes in the Philippines. While police had pledged to bolster school security nationwide following a previous fatal shooting in central Tacloban city, the recent tragedy underscores the ongoing challenges in ensuring the safety of educational environments.
Authorities are currently piecing together the circumstances surrounding the incident, with national police chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. urging the public to refrain from disseminating unverified information that could spark unnecessary alarm.
Notably, one of the pistols used by the perpetrator was traced back to his father, a Bureau of Customs police commander in Zamboanga. Bureau of Customs deputy commissioner Nolasco Bathan revealed that the father may face administrative repercussions for the lapse in securing the government-issued firearm, underscoring the need for stringent firearm regulations to prevent such tragedies from recurring.