Shooting at Philippine School Claims Two Lives
News Summary
Compiled and editorially reviewed.
- Authorities reported that a shooting at Bang National Senior High School in southern Philippines on Friday resulted in the deaths of two Grade 9 students.
- Governor Reynaldo Tamayo of South Cotabato stated that the shooter was also a Grade 9 student and conducted the attack alone using a handgun.
- At least three others injured in the incident are receiving treatment at a local hospital, and police have not yet confirmed the shooter’s age.
October 2, Manila (RAS/AFP) – Authorities confirmed that at least two people died in a deadly shooting carried out by a student at a school in southern Philippines on Friday.
Local rescue workers reported arriving at the scene after receiving reports of the shooting at Bang National Senior High School in South Cotabato province on the island of Mindanao, where a male and a female student were found deceased. Both victims were in Grade 9, according to those involved in the rescue, citing the disaster agency’s Rizali Dedelal as reported by AFP.
South Cotabato provincial Governor Reynaldo Tamayo clarified that the student who fired the weapon was a classmate of the victims and also enrolled in Grade 9 at the school.
Governor Tamayo added that at least three individuals wounded by gunfire are being treated at a local hospital. He also confirmed that the shooter acted alone using a handgun during the assault.
Bang Mayor Albert Palencia told a radio interview that the suspect was reportedly the son of education department officials and brought the gun from home.
Mayor Palencia further noted that a Grade 9 student had warned about planning such an attack immediately after lunch. Police have yet to confirm the shooter’s exact age.
A video circulated on Facebook and broadcast by AFP shows a man carrying what appears to be an injured child away from the school.
The incident occurred one month after a similar shooting and suicide at another school in Mindanao, which was live-streamed — a student shot classmates before taking his own life.
In a security response this month, Philippines authorities arranged for live firearm drills to strengthen school safety. Mayor Palencia mentioned on Friday that the parents of the Bang shooter participated in these safety exercises.