Rare School Shooting in Southern Philippines Leaves Student and Teen Gunman Dead

Vehicles exit the Ateneo de Zamboanga University following a shooting incident in Zamboanga, southern Philippines Tuesday, Augost 18, 2026. AP Facebook X LinkedIn Reuters — Two students were killed in a high school shooting in the southern Philippines on Tuesday, including the gunman, though officials confirmed the situation is now under control. This marks the second such tragedy in the country in less than two months.

The incident occurred at a school attached to the privately-run Ateneo de Zamboanga University in Zamboanga city. According to a preliminary police report, the teenage gunman brought a pistol and a rifle onto the campus and opened fire inside a classroom.

The assailant, a grade 9 student, subsequently took his own life. Police reported that the victim was a male student one grade ahead of him. Ernald Andal, the university’s president, confirmed that the active shooter situation had ended with no additional fatalities or reported injuries.

“We do not want any of these things to happen. We wish to prioritize the safety of all our students,” Andal stated.

This violence follows a June attack at a public high school in Tacloban City, where at least three students were killed and roughly 20 others injured after two schoolmates opened fire. School shootings remain uncommon in the Philippines, a nation with relatively strict gun ownership regulations involving background checks and psychological evaluations, despite the ongoing circulation of illegal firearms.

News channel ANC broadcasted footage of anxious students and parents gathering outside the school gates amid a security presence consisting of armed police and soldiers, while crime scene investigators arrived at the location. The facility is situated within a five-story building on an 8-hectare (19.8 acre) campus that accommodates the university’s grade school and junior high school students, according to official website details.

The shooting transpired less than 10 days following a high-profile school shooting rampage carried out by a student in Thailand on the outskirts of Bangkok.