School shooter showed behavioral warning signs

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines — The teenage student involved in the deadly shooting at the Ateneo de Zamboanga University apparently showed warning signs that were not taken seriously by his peers and relatives, according to Education Secretary Sonny Angara.

After visiting the Zamboanga university to assess the situation, Angara yesterday said the 14-year-old gunman sometimes joked about being angry with his classmates although he did not appear to be experiencing personal problems.

The suspect, son of Bureau of Customs (BOC) police Lt. Elias Jalani II, shot himself dead after killing a fellow student, who was 15. He was described as a high performer, was at the top of his class and a potential valedictorian.

“That’s the mystery for us now,” Angara said.

Armed with two pistols, the suspect in the early class hours Tuesday opened fire at two classrooms with students and teachers. He livestreamed his attack via a website called watchpeopledie.com using a body camera, giving viewers a “first-person shooter” perspective.

A 15-year-old girl was also grazed by a bullet as she ran out of the classroom.

“No one expected this to happen because he was a student of good standing. He was number one. He was like a valedictorian,” Angara added.

The education secretary said teachers at ADZU told him the boy did not appear to be going through serious problems.

The student’s relatives also considered his “angry” remarks as mere jokes.

Angara expressed sympathy to the families affected by the incident and urged parents to regularly check on their children, give them time and attention, and remain aware of possible harmful influences, particularly online.

“Check on them, spend time with them,” he said.

Angara also called for stronger cooperation among schools, parents, parent-teacher associations (PTA) and the wider community in addressing concerns affecting students.

Angara emphasized the need for a school-based mental health support, noting that many schools lack guidance counselors.

In an interview over dzBB, DepEd Assistant Secretary for governance and operations Roger Masapol noted that parents participate less in PTA meetings when it should be treated as an opportunity to ask the teacher about the status or behavior of their child in school.

Marcos Jr. orders probe

President Marcos has ordered a full investigation of the incident and called for an end to violence on school campuses, Cabinet Secretary Benhur Abalos said.

Abalos, who visited the university yesterday on the President’s directive, said Marcos also instructed him to extend condolences to the families of the victims.

“It was violent. I can’t imagine a child could do this,” said Abalos.

No bullying

Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said the gruesome incident was not a case of bullying, teacher maltreatment or religious conflict, but a result of misguidance and undue influence from violent online games.

Remulla said authorities consider both fatalities as victims, stressing that it should not be viewed simply as a case of one student taking retribution against another.

According to Remulla, investigators found that the suspect acted alone.

“He acted alone in the sense that he planned, executed and willfully did everything on his own. There was no conspiracy behind it, there was no active group that planned it with him,” said Remulla, who flew to Zamboanga yesterday morning.

School protocols

Remulla also said security protocols at ADZU were at par with industry standards.

Remulla said the suspect, however, exploited a procedural or structural gap in the security structure as he entered the campus in his father’s vehicle and did not undergo inspection by security guards.

Digital forensics

Seeking to establish the motive, probers have started inspecting the suspect’s cellphone and other gadgets, according to Philippine National Police chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr.

“We would like to find out what’s in the mind of this child having a firearm, shooting at his fellow students, fellow minors, and why he did this,” Nartatez said.

The contents of the suspect’s cellphone could help investigators determine his mindset before or during the shooting.

“The PNP is looking into whether there were prior incidents, threats or warning signs involving the shooter that could have alerted authorities,” he said.

Gross negligence

Customs Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno said the bureau’s internal investigation might lead to a case of gross negligence against the elder Jalani, head of the Customs Enforcement and Security Service in Zamboanga.

The 45-year-old Jalani was handed a 90-day suspension to also give the PNP a free hand in its own investigation.

“I do not want to preempt the internal investigation, but we saw that the child was in possession of the firearms, which should not have been the case. So whatever the outcome of the investigation, there is really negligence,” said Nepomuceno, stressing that the BOC would observe due process.

DSWD assistance

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has started providing psychological first aid to ADZU students, teachers and staff, including eight students aged 11 to 14.

It was done “in a safe and supportive space where they could process their emotions, express their concerns, and learn healthy coping strategies as they deal with the psychological impact of the traumatic experience,” DSWD spokesperson Irene Dumlao said.

Dumlao said Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian assured the school administration that the agency will continue to provide support through aftercare services and other forms of interventions.

The Department of Justice is looking at the possibility that children are being “mentored and engaged” online to carry out acts of violence like the one in Tacloban on June 23 and in Zamboanga on Tuesday, according to DOJ Secretary Fredderick Vida.

Sen. Risa Hontiveros led the Senate committee on women, children, family relations and gender equality inquiry yesterday and lamented how a bright 14-year-old student was motivated to steal the two firearms of his father and use them in shooting up the school.

“It pains us adults to hear of a child to be motivated to do such act,” Hontiveros said after Zamboanga City Police office director Col. Fidel Fortaleza detailed how the suspect slipped past security by entering the school building through the unsecured PWD ramp with the firearms in his bag. – Emmanuel Tupas, Mark Ernest Villeza, Evelyn Macairan, Daphne Galvez, Ghio Ong, Marc Jayson Cayabyab

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