A violent incident at Banga National High School in the town of Banga, located on the island of Mindanao in the southern Philippines, has left three people dead and at least eight others injured. Authorities confirmed that the fatalities include two 14-year-old students and the 16-year-old gunman, who reportedly turned the weapon on himself after the attack.
South Cotabato Governor Reynaldo Tamayo stated that the two students killed were a boy and a girl. According to reports from officials, the teenage shooter had warned his friends after lunch that he was “going to do something” and advised them to go home. However, his peers reportedly believed he was joking and did not take the warning seriously before he opened fire on students in a neighboring classroom.
The weapon involved in the shooting is believed to be a 9mm handgun. Officials noted that the firearm belonged to the shooter’s father, who is an employee of the Department of Education, and had been stored in a locked vault.
Banga Mayor Albert Palencia informed local media that investigators discovered online posts made by the shooter in an internet community where individuals involved in school shootings are "idolized." The mayor further cited the boy’s school adviser, who indicated that the teenager's mother had expressed a desire to seek psychiatric help for her son.
This tragedy marks the third school shooting to occur in the Philippines since June.
