A high school student opened fire at a school campus in the southern Philippine city of Zamboanga on Tuesday, killing a fellow student before he died by suicide, officials said, in the country’s second fatal school shooting in about two months.
The shooting occurred at the high school building of Ateneo de Zamboanga University, prompting the evacuation of hundreds of students. Police identified the suspect as a grade 9 student, Mohammad Mael Jalani, who was carrying two pistols. Officials said two other people were injured in addition to the student who was killed.
Zamboanga City Mayor Khymer Adan Olaso said both fatalities were students, one of them the gunman, and that the weapon used was described as high powered. “As of now, we confirm that there are two fatalities,” Olaso said, adding that there were no further active shooters.
What We Know So Far
Police said the suspect fired at a teacher in a classroom but missed, then shot a student on the building’s fourth floor before going to the fifth floor, where he died. Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said the attacker had broadcast parts of the incident on Facebook Live beginning as he climbed the stairs, though only brief clips were captured before the stream ended.
Remulla said investigators plan to examine the suspect’s gaming and chat history as part of a broader forensic analysis aimed at understanding what led to the attack, cautioning that a complete answer would not be available until that review is finished.
One of the pistols the suspect carried belonged to his father, who served as the Bureau of Customs police commander in Zamboanga, according to Bureau of Customs Deputy Commissioner Nolasco Bathan. Bathan said he had recommended the father’s temporary suspension, noting he could face administrative charges for failing to properly secure a government issued firearm.
The high school building where the attack occurred sits on a secured section of campus, separate from the university’s main grounds, which house its college and professional programs. Ateneo de Zamboanga, one of the most prominent universities in the southern Philippines, suspended classes at all levels Tuesday and Wednesday following the attack.
Joe Darryl Jaron, a parent who had just dropped off his child at the school, said he heard gunshots and saw students screaming and running for safety shortly afterward. He recorded video of the panic and shared it on Facebook, calling for help as the situation unfolded.
Police said the situation was brought under control within hours and asked parents and guardians to remain calm and follow the school’s arrangements for picking up their children. National police chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said authorities were still establishing the full circumstances of the incident and urged the public to avoid sharing unconfirmed reports, photos or videos that could cause unnecessary alarm.
What Authorities Are Saying
Olaso said officials do not want incidents like this to happen and that student safety remains a top priority for the university and city. Nartatez said the national police remain committed to the safety and wellbeing of the school community and thanked the school administration, parents, guardians and the public for their cooperation as authorities continued managing the response.
Why This Matters
Tuesday’s shooting marks the second fatal school attack in the Philippines within about two months, following a June shooting at a public high school in Tacloban City in which at least three students were killed and roughly 20 others wounded after two schoolmates opened fire on campus. Police arrested two students, ages 14 and 15, in connection with that earlier attack. Philippine authorities had pledged to strengthen school security nationwide following the Tacloban shooting, a commitment that did not prevent Tuesday’s attack in Zamboanga.
Firearm related crime is relatively common in the Philippines, driven partly by the widespread presence of unlicensed weapons, though school shootings specifically remain rare compared with the country’s broader gun violence patterns. The revelation that the suspect’s weapon came from his father’s government issued firearm adds a distinct layer of institutional accountability to the case, raising questions about firearm security protocols among law enforcement personnel and their families.
Philippine authorities separately took action following the Tacloban shooting to temporarily block an online gaming application called Gorebox, after investigators found one suspect in that earlier case was an avid user of the app, as officials continue examining whether online gaming or chat activity may play a role in fostering this kind of violence.
The shooting also comes less than two weeks after a separate, unrelated school shooting in Thailand, where a 14 year old killed his grandparents, five school staff members and a 12 year old girl in Nonthaburi province outside Bangkok. That attack prompted Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul to pursue new restrictions on firearms in a country where gun ownership rates rank second in Asia behind Pakistan and far exceed those of its Southeast Asian neighbors. The near simultaneous timing of both incidents has drawn regional attention to school violence and firearm access across Southeast Asia.
What Happens Next
Philippine investigators are continuing a forensic review of the suspect’s background, including his gaming and chat history, to better understand what motivated the attack. Authorities have not given a timeline for when that analysis will be complete.
The Bureau of Customs is expected to pursue administrative proceedings against the suspect’s father over the firearm’s security, according to Bathan’s comments. Ateneo de Zamboanga University’s leadership is expected to reassess campus security measures once classes resume, following the two day suspension enacted in the attack’s immediate aftermath.
Reporting drawn from NBC News, Reuters and the Associated Press
