Ateneo de Zamboanga shooter's classmate thought he was joking

Before the fatal school shooting incident at Ateneo de Zamboanga University on Tuesday, a classmate of the Grade 8 student shooter said that he had repeatedly blurted out plans to carry out a shooting at the school.

According to the classmate, in a "24 Oras" report by John Consulta, the shooter had also been bragging that they had guns at home.

“Parang joke-joke lang na sinabi niya na ‘I will shoot the school.’ Tapos may joke pa na may baril siya sa bahay,” the classmate said.

(It felt like a joke when he said, 'I will shoot the school.' Then there was another joke about having a gun at home.)

The shooting incident resulted in two fatalities: a Grade 10 student and the shooter himself, who shot himself inside the school's junior high school building.

According to the Philippine National Police, classes had just begun shortly after 7:00 a.m. when successive gunshots echoed across the campus.

The firearms used in the incident were identified as belonging to the shooter's father, a Bureau of Customs personnel. The recovered firearm was fitted into a RONI kit to convert it into a semi-automatic weapon.

The school administration stated that it is fully cooperating with authorities to investigate the fatal shooting.

“We are deeply saddened, deeply, deeply saddened by this incident this morning. We are confirming that there are two fatalities. We are in the process of working with the police,” Ateneo de Zamboanga University president Fr. Ernald Andal said.

Following the incident, the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) said that it has been closely monitoring related social media activity, advising the public to refrain from reposting or sharing any photos, videos, or other content concerning the event.

“Nanawagan kami sa netizens na huwag na i-repost ang mga video kaugnay ng insidente upang hindi na rin mabigyan ng karagdagang audience o atensyon ang ganitong uri ng karahasan,” CICC Undersecretary Renato Paraiso said.

(We appeal to netizens not to repost videos related to the incident so as not to give additional audience or attention to this type of violence.)

Paraiso reminded parents to monitor their children’s activities on social media and gaming platforms, especially minors.

“Panatilihin natin ang bukas na komunikasyon sa ating mga tahanan. Alamin natin kung ano ang kanilang pinapanood, sinusundan at kinokonsumo online,” he added.

(Let us maintain open communication in our homes. Let us know what they are watching, following, and consuming online.) —Lyjah Tiffany Bonzo/LDF, GMA News