A shooting occurred in Banga town in South Cotabato, located in the southern part of the Philippines, on Friday. The attack took place at Banga National High School.
Local officials and media have reported varying numbers for how many people were hurt in the event. Early reports from South Cotabato Governor Reynaldo Tamayo said one person had died and four others were hospitalized. Later reports from local officials and police said two 14-year-old students were killed and eight other students were wounded. The 16-year-old suspected shooter also died after shooting himself. Four of the wounded students were in critical condition, according to Reuters.
Banga Mayor Albert Palencia said all of the victims were students between the ages of 14 and 17. He said the shooter opened fire in a classroom next to his own and hit 10 students. Two died and eight were wounded.
The suspected shooter reportedly took his own life after the attack, according to Governor Tamayo. Authorities said the teenager used a 9 mm pistol that belonged to his father, who works for the Department of Education. Mayor Palencia said the gun had been stored in a vault at the family home. The teenager allegedly broke into the vault and took the weapon to school.
Palencia said the student had warned some friends after lunch that he planned to do something and told them to go home. His classmates reportedly thought he was joking. The mayor said the student later left his Grade 9 classroom and began shooting in the neighboring classroom.
Authorities are also investigating the teenager's online activity. Palencia said police found that the student had posted in an online "true crime" community. Investigators are trying to determine whether his activity in the group had any connection to the attack.
Governor Tamayo urged parents and gun owners to make sure firearms are kept away from children. He said schools cannot depend only on security personnel to monitor thousands of students.
The shooting is the third deadly school shooting in the Philippines since June, according to Reuters. School shootings have historically been rare in the country.
This recent incident follows a similar event in June where three students were killed and others injured during a school shooting in central Philippines, according to the BBC. That shooting occurred at San Jose National High School in Tacloban City on June 22.
Two students who were 14 and 15 years old were accused of carrying out the Tacloban shooting. Three students were killed and about 20 others were injured. Both suspects were taken into custody.
Authorities believe the earlier shooting may have been caused by a personal conflict related to bullying among students. Police said bullying was one possible motive but investigators continued looking into the circumstances surrounding the attack.
Another deadly school shooting occurred in Zamboanga in August. Reuters reported that a student livestreamed himself shooting and killing another student before taking his own life. The recent attacks have increased discussion in the Philippines about firearm storage, school security and the online material viewed by young people.