He entered the classroom with a large-caliber weapon, then opened fire on the students, broadcasting everything live on social media. It happened in the media section of a school in Zamboanga, in the Philippines: the toll was two victims – a student and the attacker – and two injured.
The attack live on social media
According to reports from police and local authorities, the shooting occurred around 7:50 am local time at the Zamboanga campus in Zamboanga City, about 800 kilometers south of Manila. Khymer Mayor Alan Olaso said the attacker entered a classroom armed and opened fire, adding that the student was wearing a camera and was live-streaming the attack. Olaso later confirmed that the attacker committed suicide soon after.
The video of the shooting
In a video released by local media and apparently broadcast live on Facebook, the barrel of a gun is seen moving along a corridor, as if in a video game, before being pointed towards a classroom and fired. Children in school uniforms are then seen screaming and running towards an exit.
The alleged killer’s Facebook account was subsequently deactivated. “In the video you can see that he first shot the teacher who was sitting at a table – Khymer Olaso, mayor of Zamboanga City, told a local radio station -. It seems that he missed the target, then he moved to another room. There he shot another student.”
Classes suspended
Classes at the institute were suspended and the police launched an investigation. The school confirmed the two deaths separately: “We have already coordinated with parents and guardians to come and pick up their children, and management has ensured the safety of those who remain on campus.”
The shooting came two months after two teenage boys opened fire at a high school in the eastern city of Tacloban, killing three students and wounding 20 people. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. condemned the attack in a statement on Facebook: “Our schools are the places where we entrust our children to learn, grow and dream of the future. They must also be among the safest places in our country.”