[Trigger Warning: death, gun violence, school shooting]
Editor's note: This article was updated at 4:23 PM to add details from the Public Service Hour interview with Police Regional Office – Zamboanga PIO PMaj. Shiela Chang.
The alleged suspect in the shooting at Ateneo de Zamboanga University (ADZU) died on Tuesday morning, August 18, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jonvic Remulla announced.
The DILG chief said it remains unclear whether the high school suspect jumped from the building or also shot himself before he later died.
Police said the incident occurred at around 7:45 a.m. at the ADZU Tumaga Campus in Barangay Tumaga.
Remulla said the suspect, a Grade 9 student and child in conflict with the law (CICL), also livestreamed the shooting on his Facebook account.
According to the police report, the suspect was armed with a 9mm Glock pistol and went to Room 404, where he allegedly shot a fellow student without provocation.
The victim, a Grade 10 male student, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Meanwhile, PSSg Javer Amarad said the initial investigation showed that the suspect ran toward the fifth floor while repeatedly shouting. He later shot himself using the same firearm, police said.
“Nael then shot himself using the same pistol and allegedly committed suicide,” the police report said.
Authorities recovered two 9mm pistols and empty shells of the same caliber from the scene. Zamboanga City Police Station 7 also coordinated with the Philippine National Police-Scene of the Crime Operations (SOCO) team for crime scene processing.
Remulla said authorities are investigating how the firearm was brought into the school and determining who owned the recovered weapons.
Investigators are also working to establish the motive behind the shooting.
PMaj. Shiela Mae Chang, PIO of the Police Regional Office – Zamboanga, later clarified in an interview at DZRH's Public Service Hour that the suspect was a Grade 8 student. She also confirmed that the suspect went up the fifth floor and reportedly shot himself.
