Two students were killed and two other people were wounded in a shooting at a high school in the Philippines on Tuesday, August 18. The alleged gunman, who was among the deceased, carried out the attack at a school in Zamboanga City in the southern Philippines.
Suspect wore body camera
The city's mayor, Khymer Adan Olaso, said the suspect apparently wore a body camera to livestream the attack at the high school on the Ateneo de Zamboanga University campus. In a Facebook post, Mayor Olaso wrote: "Good day all classes at Ateneo de Zamboanga will be suspended efective today in all Level."
Speaking to radio station DZMM, he said the shooter "managed to enter carrying a high-powered firearm and a .45 calibre pistol." Referring to a video circulated by local media, he added: "In the video, we see that he first shot at the teacher who was sitting at a table. It seems he missed, then moved to another room ... he shot another student there, the one who fell. It seems two others were also injured, probably before he killed himself."
Second school shooting in two months
This is the second shooting at a high school in the country in two months. A different high school shooting occurred in the central region just two months prior, killing three pupils and wounding 20 others.
The Philippines maintains relatively strict gun ownership laws, including background checks and psychological evaluation requirements. However, illegal firearms continue to circulate.
