A Philippine grade 9 student livestreamed a fatal school shooting on Facebook Live before killing himself on Tuesday.
Mohammad Mael Jalani, a grade 9 student at Ateneo de Zamboanga University in the southern port city of Zamboanga, carried two pistols into the high school building and opened fire, police said. The attack left one fellow student dead and two others injured, prompting a campus evacuation.
Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla told reporters that Jalani entered the building and started firing indiscriminately. “He entered and started indiscriminately firing, hitting a Grade 10 student at the fourth floor then subsequently went to the fifth floor and jumped from the said building and committed suicide,” Remulla said.
The shooting was partially broadcast on social media. “He showed this on Facebook Live starting when he was climbing up the stairs but there were only snippets,” Remulla said. Authorities are examining digital evidence to understand the motive. “We’ll look into his gaming history and his chat history so we cannot come up with a complete answer why this happened until we do a complete forensic analysis,” Remulla continued.
Police said Jalani first fired at a teacher sitting in front of a class but apparently missed. He then shot a student on the fourth floor before going up one floor and killing himself. Zamboanga city Mayor Khymer Adan Olaso and police confirmed the suspect shot himself.
One of the pistols came from Jalani’s father, who was the Bureau of Customs police commander in Zamboanga, Bureau of Customs deputy commissioner Nolasco Bathan told reporters. Bathan added that he recommended the temporary suspension of the father, who may face administrative charges for failing to properly safeguard the government-issued pistol.
Parent Joe Darryl Jaron had just driven his child to the school when he heard gunshots that sent students screaming and running. He took a video of the commotion and posted it on Facebook. “There are gunshots here in Ateneo, help! Help,” he said.
Hundreds of students were evacuated from the high school building, which sits in a secured campus separate from the larger university grounds. Ateneo de Zamboanga, one of the largest and most prestigious universities in southern Philippines, suspended classes at all levels Tuesday and Wednesday following the attack.
National police chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. Addressed the public as the investigation began. “Authorities are currently establishing the circumstances surrounding the incident,” Nartatez said. The police “will provide verified information as appropriate and appeals to the public to refrain from sharing unconfirmed reports, photos, or videos that may cause unnecessary concern.”
Nartatez added that the national police “assure the public that the safety and well-being of the school community remain a priority. We thank the school administration, parents, guardians, and the community for their patience, cooperation and understanding as authorities continue to manage the situation.”
In the viral moment that preceded this latest attack, a June shooting in Tacloban city left three high school students dead and at least 20 others wounded. Police arrested two students, ages 14 and 15, in that case. Days after the Tacloban shooting, Philippine authorities temporarily blocked the online gaming app Gorebox to assess whether it played a role in fostering violence, with the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center citing an investigation showing one suspect was an avid user.
The Philippines has seen a recent cluster of school violence despite relatively rare school shootings historically, with crimes involving firearms prevalent partly due to unlicensed weapons proliferation. The Zamboanga attack also came less than two weeks after a school shooting in Thailand, where a 14-year-old boy killed his grandparents, five school staff members and a 12-year-old girl in Nonthaburi province outside Bangkok.
Classes at Ateneo de Zamboanga University are scheduled to resume following the suspension period, with security protocols under review.