2 firearms, 'voluminous ammunition' recovered after Zamboanga shooting — PNP
Content warning: Violence, school shooting, suicide
MANILA, Philippines — Authorities have recovered two firearms and a voluminous amount of ammunition following the shooting incident inside the premises of the Ateneo de Zamboanga on Tuesday, August 18, Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Jose Melencio Nartatez said.
In a press briefing on Wednesday, August 19, Nartatez said among the firearms recovered by investigators were a .40-caliber firearm and a 9mm-caliber firearm.
One of the recovered items, according to Nartatez, is a “gadget” for handguns, which appears to look like a rifle.
“Voluminous ammunition were recovered,” Nartatez said.
Nartatez said that investigators recovered two live 9mm rounds and five live .40-caliber rounds, alongside fired cartridges that included four fired 9mm cartridges and three fired .40-caliber cartridges, indicating a minimum of seven shots had been fired.
The shooting, which occurred on the morning of August 18, left two individuals dead and nine injured.
Following the shooting incident, the shooter, who is a junior high school student, shot himself, according to Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla.
The firearms used in the shooting belonged to the student's father, who is a uniformed police officer from the Bureau of Customs. Customs Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno on August 18 ordered the preventive suspension of the shooter’s father after the incident.
According to Remulla, the father claimed he had left his gun bag inside his vehicle, where the student managed to retrieve it.
However, the Interior chief expressed strong skepticism regarding this account, stating that gun safety and safekeeping are fundamental to police training.
“Ang turing nila (law enforcement) sa kanilang baril ay parang asawa nila yan. Hindi nila iniiwan. Lagi nilang dala,” Remulla said in the same press conference.
(They treat their firearms like a spouse—they never leave it behind and always carry it with them.)
Possible motive
In a GMA News interview, Zamboanga City Mayor Khymer Adan Olaso said that the shooter had been experiencing pressure over his grades and depression.
According to Olaso, the student was under pressure because his grades were not particularly high, explaining that despite being an honor student, he appeared to be striving for higher academic marks.
“So 'yung motive niya is 'yung teacher. Parang 'yun ang gusto niyang gantihan,” he said in a GMA News interview.
(So his motive is the teacher. It seems he wanted to take revenge.)
However, for Remulla, it is "too early to tell" what exactly triggered the shooting, as the investigation is still in its early stages.
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