Two killed as gunman opens fire at Philippines high school, official says

A tragic school shooting unfolded at a high school in Zamboanga, southern Philippines, on Tuesday. The gunman, a grade 9 student, killed a fellow student before taking his own life, according to a police report. This marks the second school attack in the country within two months. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. pledged to investigate the incident and implement measures to prevent future violence in schools, emphasizing that educational institutions should be among the safest places in the nation.

The shooter brought a pistol and a rifle onto the campus of the Ateneo de Zamboanga University, a privately-run institution, and opened fire in two classrooms. A student was found lying injured on the ground, while the gunman was located dead on the fifth floor after his suicide. Two other individuals sustained injuries during the chaotic escape, but no additional fatalities were reported.

The school, a five-story building on an 8-hectare site, houses the university's grade school and junior high school students. This incident follows a similar attack in Tacloban City in June, which resulted in three student deaths and 20 injuries. School shootings are rare in the Philippines, a nation with stringent gun regulations, including background checks and psychological evaluations, though illegal firearms persist.