Philippine student livestreams school shooting, kills classmate and himself

A ninth-grade student opened fire at a high school attached to Ateneo de Zamboanga University in the southern Philippine city of Zamboanga on Tuesday, killing a fellow student and then himself, and wounding two others. The attack, which the suspect livestreamed using a body camera, prompted the evacuation of hundreds of students and marked the second fatal school shooting in the Philippines in less than two months Source: AP News, The Guardian.

The attack

The suspect, identified by police as Mohammad Mael Jalani, entered the school carrying a pistol and a rifle Source: CNA, CNN. He first fired at a teacher, apparently missing, then shot a Grade 10 student on the fourth floor before moving to the fifth floor and taking his own life Source: South China Morning Post. Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said the suspect showed the attack on Facebook Live, but only snippets were visible Source: South China Morning Post. The university president confirmed there were no more active shooters and no additional casualties Source: Al Jazeera.

The reaction

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. expressed grief and ordered a thorough investigation Source: The Guardian. The customs department suspended an agent who allegedly owned the firearms used, with reports suggesting he was the suspect's father Source: The Guardian. Police are investigating the motive and how the guns were brought onto campus Source: The Guardian.

Context

School shootings are rare in the Philippines, which has strict gun laws, but illegal firearms remain common Source: CNN. The incident follows a June shooting in Tacloban City that killed three students and injured about 20 Source: AP News. It also came less than two weeks after a school shooting in Thailand Source: AP News.