ZAMBOANGA CITY — A shooting at the Junior High School campus of Ateneo de Zamboanga University on Tuesday morning, August 18, left two students dead, including the alleged shooter, according to university officials and multiple independent reports.
The incident triggered an immediate security response at the school, while authorities worked to secure the campus and establish what led to the attack.
Ateneo de Zamboanga University confirmed that there were two fatalities and said there was no longer an active shooter on campus. University president Ernald Andal also said there were no additional fatalities or reported injuries at the time of the initial official confirmation.
Zamboanga City Mayor Khymer Adan Olaso separately told radio DZMM that both fatalities were students and that one of them was the alleged gunman.
What happened inside the school?
Initial accounts indicate that the suspect was a Grade 7 student. PhilSTAR Life, citing Mayor Olaso, reported that the student allegedly brought a high-powered firearm and a .45-caliber pistol onto the campus at around 8 a.m.
According to the mayor’s account reported by the Associated Press, the student initially fired toward a teacher before shooting another student. The suspected gunman then died by suicide. The teacher’s condition and the precise sequence of events remained subject to verification as authorities continued their investigation.
AP also reported that the mayor said the suspect may have been wearing a body camera and may have livestreamed the attack. That detail, however, remains an allegation from the mayor and should not be treated as independently established until investigators confirm it.
University says situation is under control
The university said it was coordinating with authorities and prioritizing the safety of students who remained on campus.
Parents and guardians were also contacted to pick up students, while the university said it would use official communication channels to provide verified updates.
Regional police were likewise working to secure the campus as investigators began determining the circumstances surrounding the shooting.
Conflicting reports over the number of deaths
Early reports created confusion over the death toll.
A Bombo Radyo report initially stated that four people—including two security guards and two students—were reportedly killed in the shooting.
However, subsequent reporting from Reuters and CNA, along with the university’s own confirmation, put the confirmed death toll at two. Both fatalities were students, with one identified by officials as the suspected shooter.
Because the situation is still developing, the earlier report involving two slain security guards should be treated as unverified unless police, the university, or another authoritative source confirms it.
A second school shooting in months
The Zamboanga shooting comes less than two months after another deadly school attack in the Philippines.
Reuters reported that a June shooting at a public high school in Tacloban City killed at least three students and injured about 20 others after two students allegedly opened fire on campus.
The Ateneo de Zamboanga incident therefore raises renewed concerns over school security, firearm access and the ability of educational institutions to prevent weapons from entering campuses.
Authorities have yet to establish a definitive motive for Tuesday’s attack, and questions remain about how the student allegedly obtained the firearms and brought them onto school grounds.
Those questions are likely to become central to the investigation as police reconstruct what happened before, during and immediately after the shooting.
This is a developing story. Details, including the circumstances surrounding the shooting, the suspect’s motive and the condition of any possible injured persons, may change as authorities release additional information.
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