2 students dead, 9 injured in Ateneo de Zamboanga shooting

The Junior High School building of the Ateneo de Zamboanga University.

Philstar.com / Martin Ramos

Content warning: School shooting and violence

MANILA, Philippines (Update 2, 2:27 p.m.) — Two individuals were reported killed following a school shooting incident at Ateneo de Zamboanga University on Tuesday morning, August 18.

Ateneo de Zamboanga University has confirmed the two fatalities in a statement.

Local officials and police investigators said the fatalities were junior high school students, including a Grade 8 student.

According to local officials and investigators, the alleged shooter, also a junior high school student, entered a classroom on the fourth floor of a school building and opened fire at Grade 8 students.

The shooting killed one student and injured nine others, according to local media reports.

The gunshots caused panic among students inside the school building, with witnesses reporting that students fled the area.

After the shooting, the alleged attacker reportedly went to the third floor of the building, where he shot himself with a pistol. He was killed instantly, according to local reports.

In a phone patch interview with reporters, Police Regional Office 9 Public Information Office Chief Maj. Shellamie Chang said the office received reports of the shooting at 7:50 a.m.

Police immediately arrived at the premises following the incident.

Initial reports from Zamboanga City Police Station 7 chief Maj. Napoleon Velasco and Lt. Romeo Ocampo Jr. said police recovered Glock 9mm pistols from the alleged shooter and the deceased student.

However, the deceased student's close friends and relatives told reporters that he was known to be friendly and polite. They also said they found claims that he was armed difficult to believe.

Students told reporters that the alleged shooter may have brought the firearms into the campus and used them during the attack.

Local radio reports said the alleged shooter was armed with a pistol and a short-type combat rifle. The same reports said the minor's father is a senior official of the Bureau of Customs in Region 9.

One report said the pistol initially used in the attack may have jammed and could have been the firearm later found near the deceased student's body. This detail has yet to be independently confirmed.

The alleged shooter was also reportedly seen livestreaming the incident on social media.

Circulating videos showed an individual carrying a long firearm and a pistol. The individual was seen firing at a person in front of a classroom before opening fire at others.

In separate statements, Ateneo de Zamboanga Grade School and Junior High School said that the students are “safe and accounted for.”

Authorities continue to investigate the incident, including how the firearms were brought inside the school campus.