A tragic incident unfolded at a high school campus in the southern Philippines as a student armed with two pistols fatally shot a fellow student before taking his own life. The distressing event, livestreamed using a body-worn camera, marked the second deadly school shooting in the country within two months.
The violence erupted at the Ateneo de Zamboanga university campus in Zamboanga City, leading to the evacuation of hundreds of students following the sound of gunshots. Two individuals sustained injuries during the attack, according to authorities.
The perpetrator, identified as Mohammad Mael Jalani, a Grade 9 student, targeted a teacher but missed before turning his gun on a student on the fourth floor. Subsequently, he proceeded to a higher floor where he tragically ended his own life, as detailed in the initial police report.
Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla disclosed that the assailant initiated the attack by firing at random before fatally shooting a Grade 10 student and then committing suicide on the fifth floor of the building. Remulla mentioned that parts of the incident were broadcasted on Facebook Live, although further investigations into the perpetrator’s online activities are necessary to comprehend the motive behind the violence.
Zamboanga City Mayor Khymer Adan Olaso confirmed that the suspect took his own life. The high school building where the tragedy unfolded is within a secure campus separate from the main facilities of the Catholic university. In response to the incident, Ateneo suspended classes across all levels for Tuesday and Wednesday.
Eyewitness Joe Darryl Jaron captured the chaos on video, highlighting the panic among students. Police later assured the public that the situation was contained and urged parents to cooperate with the school’s instructions for picking up their children.
Regarding the firearms involved, one of the pistols was traced back to the suspect’s father, a police commander with the Bureau of Customs in Zamboanga. The father may face disciplinary actions for failing to secure the government-issued weapon properly.
Despite efforts to enhance school security following a previous shooting in June, where three students were killed in Tacloban city, incidents like these underscore the challenges posed by unlicensed firearms in the Philippines.
