Students reported dead in Banga National High School shooting

Several students were reported dead while others were injured in a shooting incident at Banga National High School in Banga, South Cotabato Friday afternoon.

Banga Mayor Albert Palencia said at least three students were dead while 8 were injured.

“Bale yung nasawi kanina lahat-lahat, tatlo tapos walo 'yung sugatan (All in all, around three were killed while eight others were injured),” Palencia told Super Radyo dzBB.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development earlier reported that there were at least six deaths and 17 injured.

Warning

According to Palencia, the shooter was a Grade 9 student. The shooter allegedly told his friends that after lunch, they should go home. He warned them that he might do something bad.

After lunch, he left his classroom and opened fire in the neighboring classroom. The classroom’s advisor had left for a moment.

Palencia said the shooter brought two magazines for a 9mm gun. After he opened fire on other students, the shooter reportedly turned the gun on himself after changing magazines.

The student reportedly got the gun from his own father.

“Yung papa niya, shooter din. At saka empleyado ng DepEd Region XII. Kaya 'yung baril, tinatago sa vault, sinira ng bata 'yung vault at saka dinala 'yung baril sa eskwelahan,” Palencia said.

(His father was a shooter, also. And an employee of DepEd Region XII. So the gun was hidden in the vault, the kid broke the vault, and then he brought the gun to school.)

The mayor said he learned that the mother of the shooter was planning to take her child to seek psychiatric help.

The shooter’s sibling was also a teacher in the high school.

His father was in General Santos, teaching about child safety.

True Crime Community member

The police also reported that the shooter was part of a True Crime Community, an online group interested in violent crimes, Palencia said.

The mayor described the child as smart and athletic. The shooter reportedly got a grade of 76, which caused him to be depressed.

Asked about how the child was able to carry the gun inside school services, Palencia said that since it was a national high school, there was only one security guard to 3,000 students. There was not enough time to check all of them.

Isolated case

In a video statement from South Cotabato Governor Reynaldo S. Tamayo, Jr., he asked citizens to remain calm. Tamayo said that the case was isolated and the investigation was ongoing.

“Hindi pa nabigay 'yung final investigation report pero base sa sa aming nakita at narinig dito ay, lima yung affected na mga kabataan, apat ang naging biktima at isa yung suspect. Ang suspect ay nagbaril din sa kanyang sarili,” Tamayo said.

(The final investigation report has not been given but based on what we saw and heard, there were five kids affected, four of them were victims and one is the suspect. The suspect shot himself.)

Tamayo said that some of those brought to the hospital were in critical condition.

He expressed regret that this happened to a school that was fully guarded.

In a video from Efren Mamac, Banga National High School Assistant Coordinator Eddie Magdayao Jr. said that the shooter and the victims were students in the school.

“Lahat po ng na-involve ay estudyante natin dito sa Banga National High School (Those involved were students here at the Banga National High School),” Magdayao said.

He said that they were informed of at least three confirmed deaths while others were being treated in the hospital.

There were no teachers involved, he said. —AOL, GMA News