2 students dead in Philippines school shooting including gunman, officials say

A shooting at a high school in Zamboanga, Philippines, on Tuesday left two students dead, including the perpetrator, officials confirmed. The incident, which is now under control, marks the second such tragedy in the country in less than two months.

The gunman, identified as a ninth-grade student, brought both a pistol and a rifle onto the campus of the Ateneo de Zamboanga University. He opened fire on students inside a classroom before taking his own life, according to a preliminary police report. The other victim was a male student in the grade above the gunman.

Ernald Andal, the university's president, confirmed that the active shooting situation had ended with no further fatalities or injuries. "We do not want any of these things to happen. We wish to prioritise the safety of all our students," Andal stated. The university's website describes the campus as a five-storey building on an 8-hectare site housing both grade school and junior high school students.

This event echoes a similar attack in June at a public high school in Tacloban City, where two students killed at least three of their peers and injured about 20 others. School shootings are considered rare in the Philippines, which enforces relatively strict gun ownership laws, including background checks and psychological evaluations. However, illegal firearms continue to circulate, posing an ongoing risk.

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We do not want any of these things to happen. We wish to prioritise the safety of all our students.