Zamboanga declares Day of Mourning, suspends all classes after Ateneo shooting

DEATHS IN A CAMPUS. The Ateneo de Zamboanga University junior high school campus in Zamboanga where deadly shootings claimed the lives of two young students on Tuesday morning, August 18, 2026.

Nonoy Lacson/Rappler

'Nobody wants this to happen. These children are all victims,' says Zamboanga Mayor Khymer Olaso as he condoles with the parents and families of the two students who died

AT A GLANCE

• Zamboanga City suspended all classes and declared a Day of Mourning following the shooting deaths of two students at Ateneo de Zamboanga University, which police are investigating as a premeditated attack.
• President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered a thorough investigation and emphasized the need for stronger safeguards to ensure student safety in educational environments.
• The shooter targeted another student before taking his own life, with police confirming the recovery of 9mm pistols at the scene.

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Trigger warning: Violence and suicide

CAGAYAN DE ORO, Philippines – Zamboanga City suspended classes at all levels on Wednesday, August 19, and declared a Day of Mourning following the shooting deaths of two young students at the Jesuit-run Ateneo de Zamboanga University on Tuesday. Police continued to investigate what they described as a premeditated attack.

The city-wide class suspension is a “solemn expression” of the residents’ collective grief, according to a city government announcement.

Hours after the Ateneo de Zamboanga shooting, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered law enforcement groups to carry out a thorough investigation into what happened, and “determine what more should be done to prevent another family, another school and another community from suffering the same grief.”

Marcos stressed the need to strengthen safeguards and create safe spaces where students can pursue their education without fear.

“August 18 was a very, very sad and tragic day for Zamboanga City,” Mayor Khymer Olaso said in a video message posted on his Facebook page.

“Nobody wants this to happen. These children are all victims,” he said as he condoled with the parents and families of the two students who died.

Olaso said the incident was a call for unity and showed the need to strengthen security in the city.

Zamboanga Vice Mayor Beng Climaco also expressed condolences to the families and urged residents to observe the Day of Mourning with solemnity, compassion and respect.

Police said the shooting happened at about 7:45 am on Tuesday, August 18, at the university’s high school campus in Barangay Tumaga.

According to an initial police report, the shooter, a minor and a 9th grade student, went to a classroom on the fourth floor and shot another student, also a minor in Grade 10. 

The shooter then went to another floor, shouted toward the lower floors and subsequently shot himself, the police report said.

Police said both students were found dead on different floors of the building and that 9mm pistols were recovered at the scene.

Zamboanga City police deputy director Lieutenant Colonel Paul Andrew Cortes told RMN Zamboanga that one of the fatalities and a pistol were found on the building’s 5th floor.

The Bureau of Customs said on Tuesday that one of the guns used in the shooting was a government-issued firearm assigned to a Customs security official at the port of Zamboanga. The shooter was the official’s son, the bureau said, adding that the official had been relieved of his duties.

Investigators said their initial assessment indicated a gun attack followed by suicide and that the incident appeared to have been premeditated. Mayor Olaso earlier told ANC News Channel that the shooter first fired at a teacher, who was not hit and was unharmed. – Rappler.com