(OSV News) — A shooting in a Jesuit-run school in the Philippines, which saw a student kill a fellow student before killing himself, sparked shock and reignited alarm over juvenile delinquency and campus security.
The incident inside a classroom at the Ateneo de Zamboanga University Junior School in Mindanao, southern Philippines, occurred on the morning of Aug. 18, according to police.
The student not only shot a fellow student and killed himself but also livestreamed the incident on Facebook, officials said. The attacker was reportedly armed with a pistol and rifle.
Several other students were injured in the attack and rushed to local hospitals for treatment, the authorities said.
Zamboanga City Mayor Khymer Adan Olaso said preliminary information indicated the shooter wore a body camera. The video has since gone viral on various social media platforms.
Olaso raised strong concerns over the influence of ultra-violent online sandbox games like GoreBox and fringe extremist networks like the “764” group, urging national authorities to heavily restrict violent online games accessible to minors.
Local media reported that a customs police officer assigned to the Port of Zamboanga, allegedly the shooter’s father, has been dismissed from his post following the incident.
Jesuit Father Guillrey Anthony Andal, school president, confirmed the shooting incident and affirmed that the institution is prioritizing the community’s welfare.
“We do not want any of these things to happen. We wish to prioritize the safety of all our students,” he said in a statement.
The university issued a separate statement to express shock over the shooting.
“The Ateneo de Zamboanga University is saddened by the incident that happened today on our JHS campus. As of now, we confirm that there are two [2] fatalities… We ask everyone to respect the privacy of all affected individuals. We pray for the quick resolution of the situation and for the safety of all,” the statement said.
?Zamboanga City Police Director Col. Fidel Fortaleza stated the campus was contained by mid-morning, confirming no ongoing threat as Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO) processed the area. Classes were immediately suspended, and students were evacuated to designated safe zones to be reunited with their families.
?This is the second fatal shooting at a Jesuit-run Ateneo university network, following a targeted political assassination in July 2022 at Ateneo de Manila University that left three people dead.
It also marks the second deadly school shooting in the Philippines in less than two months, following a June attack at a public high school in Tacloban City where two students killed at least three schoolmates and injured about 20 others.
Police investigations remain underway to establish the motive and determine how the firearms breached campus security.
The school shooting is the second such incident in a Southeast Asian country in little over a week.
On Aug. 7, a 14-year-old boy in Thailand killed his grandparents before shooting dead five more people at a school and then killing himself.
