A ninth-grade student has allegedly killed a schoolmate before taking his own life in a shooting incident livestreamed on social media at a Catholic university in the Philippines.
The incident occurred on Tuesday at Ateneo de Zamboanga University, a private Catholic institution in western Mindanao.
Regional police spokesperson, Shella Chang, said the suspect entered the classroom of the victim and shot him before proceeding to the fifth floor of the school building, where he shot himself.
According to Chang, the authorities were still investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Interior Secretary Victor Remulla confirmed that the suspect livestreamed the shooting on social media. His Facebook account has since been disabled.
Footage circulated by local media reportedly showed the barrel of a firearm moving through a school hallway before being pointed into a classroom and fired.
Students wearing school uniforms were seen fleeing the area while screaming.
Authorities had not immediately disclosed whether other people were injured during the attack.
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The national police have launched an investigation to establish the motive for the shooting, determine the ownership and source of the firearm, and find out how the weapon was brought onto the school campus.
The ages of both the suspected shooter and the victim had yet to be released by police.
The university’s president, Father Guillrey Andal, confirmed the two deaths and said the institution was deeply saddened by the incident.
Andal said school authorities were working with police to identify the deceased students and contact their families.
He added that the incident had caused widespread concern among students, staff and parents.
The shooting came just two months after another attack at a school in the central Philippines that left three teenagers dead and 20 others injured.
In response to that tragedy, Ateneo de Zamboanga was among schools across the country that conducted active-shooter preparedness drills.
Andal said the university’s security team had also been preparing a simulation exercise to strengthen safety measures for students and personnel.
School shootings remain relatively rare in the Philippines, although authorities continue to face challenges linked to the illegal circulation of firearms despite strict regulations on gun ownership.
Investigators are expected to focus on the motive for the attack and how the weapon was obtained and taken into the school.