A student opened fire at a high school in the southern Philippines on Tuesday, killing a fellow student before shooting himself, officials said, marking the second such attack in the country in less than two months.
The shooting took place at a school attached to the privately-run Ateneo de Zamboanga University in Zamboanga City. Mayor Khymer Adan Olaso told local radio station DZMM that the gunman, a grade 9 student, first fired at a teacher before shooting the victim, a grade 10 student, who died. Two others were wounded. It was not immediately clear whether the teacher was struck.
University president Ernald Andal confirmed the shooting had ended, with no further fatalities or injuries reported. “As of now, we confirm that there are two fatalities. There are no more active shooters,” Andal said.
Police said the gunman brought a pistol and a rifle onto campus and opened fire inside a classroom, according to a preliminary report. Authorities have not disclosed a possible motive.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr ordered law enforcement agencies to investigate the attack and determine steps to prevent further violence in schools. “Our schools are where we entrust our children to learn, to grow and to dream about the lives ahead of them. They must also be among the safest places in our country,” Marcos said in a statement.
The attack follows a shooting in June at a public high school in Tacloban City, in which at least three students were killed and around 20 injured after two schoolmates opened fire on campus. It also comes less than 10 days after a student carried out a deadly shooting at a school outside Bangkok, Thailand.
School shootings remain rare in the Philippines, which has relatively strict gun-ownership regulations, including background checks and psychological evaluation requirements, though illegal firearms remain in circulation.
