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Philippine School Shooting Kills Three, Including Gunman
Confirmed
In Short: A shooting at Banga National High School in the southern Philippines left three dead and six injured, including the gunman.
A shooting at Banga National High School in the southern Philippines on Friday left three people dead and six others injured, including the suspected 16-year-old gunman.
Rolly Doane Aquino, a provincial disaster response official in South Cotabato province, said the incident occurred after lunchtime when the gunman began shooting students.
According to Banga Mayor Albert Palencia, the gunman, a ninth-grade student, hit 10 students in the classroom next to his, two of whom died while eight were wounded.
Palencia told Reuters that during a lunchtime conversation on Friday, the gunman had urged friends to go home because he was planning to execute his plan after lunch.
The Philippine National Police confirmed that three people had died and several others had been wounded in the attack.
Emergency personnel responded to the campus of Banga National High School in South Cotabato province in Mindanao at about 1:30 p.m. local time.
The Department of Education said it was deeply concerned over the reported shooting in Banga town in South Cotabato.
The attack is the third school shooting to take place in the country in recent months, following two fatal incidents since June.
In June, at least three students were killed and about 20 others injured in an attack at a public high school in Tacloban, where two classmates opened fire on campus.
Last month, a student live-streamed himself shooting and killing another student in a classroom in Zamboanga before taking his own life.
Police are investigating how the suspected gunman obtained the firearm and whether he had any connection to an online community where young people involved in school shootings are idolized.
South Cotabato governor Reynaldo Tamayo urged parents to ensure guns were kept out of reach of minors.
What this adds
The shooting is the third deadly school shooting in the Philippines since June, indicating a concerning trend.
The gunman's posts in an online community where young people involved in school shootings are idolized have been found by authorities.
Background
A shooting at Banga National High School in the southern Philippines killed three students and injured six others, including the suspected 16-year-old gunman.
A shooting at Banga National High School in the southern Philippines left three dead and six injured, including the gunman.
A school shooting is an armed attack at an educational institution, involving the use of a gun. Many school shootings are also categorized as mass shootings due to multiple casualties.
What's confirmed
- MANILA, Philippines -- A shooting at a high school in the southern Philippines on Friday left at least three young people dead and six others injured, including the gunman, a local official said.
- Rolly Doane Aquino, a provincial disaster response official in South Cotabato province, said three people were killed and six others were hospitalized after the shooting at Banga National High School in the town of Banga.
- Reynaldo Tamayo said the gunman’s best friend told officials that he was a member of a “true crime community.” Tamayo said authorities would investigate the claim.
- “After lunch, he started shooting students. He hit 10 students before killing himself,” Palencia added.
- At least eight people were also injured in the country’s third deadly school shooting since June.
- At least three people, including a 16-year-old suspected gunman, have been killed and several injured in a shooting at a school in the Philippines.
- Emergency personnel walk at a site of a deadly shooting at a school in Banga, South Cotabato, Philippines, on Sep 18, 2026. (Photo: Philippine Red Cross via Reuters) MANILA: Three students were killed in a school shooting in the southern Philippines on Friday (Sep 18), including a 16-year-old suspected gunman who turned the gun on himself, provincial officials said.
- Eight others were injured, with four in critical condition, and all the victims were students aged 14 to 17, said Albert Palencia, mayor of Banga town in South Cotabato, where the shooting took place.
- "He is a student of that school, grade nine," Tamayo said, adding that at least three people were being treated for gunshot wounds at a local hospital.
- Local rescuers received a call about gunfire on the campus of Banga National High School in South Cotabato province in Mindanao at about 1.30pm.
- CNA Games Guess Word Crack the word, one row at a time Buzzword Create words using the given letters Mini Sudoku Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser Mini Crossword Small grid, big challenge Word Search Spot as many words as you can Show More Show Less The incident follows two fatal gun incidents since June at schools in the Philippines, where school shootings were previously rare.
- A student last month live-streamed himself shooting and killing another student in a classroom in Zamboanga before taking his own life.
What's still developing
- The circumstances of the shooting remained under investigation.
- “One male and one female were killed, both Grade nine students,” disaster agency worker Rizalie Dedel told AFP over the phone, adding that the gunman had taken his own life.
- Nationwide live shooter drills were conducted this month to strengthen security following two rare school shootings that shook the Philippines in the past few months.
- In a video posted to Facebook and confirmed by AFP, a man can be seen carrying what appears to be a wounded child from the school, rushing him into the sidecar of a waiting motorbike.
- Police officers secured the campus and coordinated with school officials and medical responders, the statement said.
- Quoting the gunman’s school adviser, Palencia said the mother of the boy wanted to bring him to a psychiatrist.
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- "Our immediate priority is the safety and well-being of our learners, teachers and school personnel," the education department said, adding it was coordinating with authorities to verify the incident and provide necessary support.
- Gun crime is not uncommon in the Philippines, which has one of the highest rates of gun ownership in the region.