TACLOBAN SCHOOL SHOOTING LEAVES 3 DEAD, 7 WOUNDED

THREE  students were killed while seven others were injured in a shooting incident inside a school in Tacloban City, Leyte.

The incident occurred inside the San Jose National High School around 9 a.m. Monday.

The deadly gun attack took place following two separate stabbing incidents inside school premises in Cavite province.

Two suspects identified only as  “Nash,” a 15-year-old Grade 10 student from Bgy. 83 in San Jose, and a Grade 9 student with the alias “Rod” are now in the custody of the local police.

A cal. 9mm semi-automatic pistol and a cal. .38 revolver  were recovered from the suspects and will be subjected to ballistics examination.

The pistol was said to be owned by a policewoman who happened to be a relative of the 15-year-old suspect . The cop is now under investigation.

The cal. 38 revolver  was registered to a security agency based in Cebu City.

An investigation showed that the suspects suddenly opened fire without saying anything.

Nash was reportedly armed with the Glock, while Rod held the .38 caliber.

Members of the Tacloban City Police Station 1 rushed to the scene after receiving a call from a concerned citizen and arrested the first suspect. The second suspect,  who managed to flee the scene, later surrendered to the police after panicking.

Witnesses said the two student suspects started firing from the class window before entering a room and firing more shots. At least 40 spent casings were recovered at the scene.

Probers are looking into possible “youth violent extremism,” “bullying” or revenge as behind the deadly attack.

As gunshots were fired, students were seen crying and shouting for help in a cellphone video taken by an unknown individual at the scene.

Another picture showed one of the suspects with a pistol while aiming at an unknown target.

The bodies of the three fatalities were brought to a local funeral parlor for autopsy to determine the actual wounds they suffered.

Of the seven wounded, three were respectively shot in the left hip, one in the right hip and left buttocks and the third in the left foot.

The rest suffered minor body injuries while trying to flee the scene.

The shooting incident occurred as PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio C. Nartatez Jr. expressed serious concern over the recent stabbing incidents that occurred inside schools in Cavite.

”Violence has no place in our educational institutions. I therefore direct all police units to intensify police visibility, strengthen preventive patrols, conduct security assessments, and maintain close coordination with school authorities, local government units, parents, and community stakeholders,” Nartatez said.

“We must do everything within our mandate to ensure that every school remains a safe, secure, and conducive environment for learning,” he added.

On June 16 and 19, two stabbing incidents were reported in Cavite.

In the wake of those two incidents, the PNP chief directed all concerned police offices to immediately intensify their visibility and conduct sustained preventive patrols in and around school zones, especially during school opening, recess, and dismissal hours.

The  Police Regional Office 4-A and the Cavite Police Provincial Office were likewise instructed to ensure strict implementation of these measures within their areas of responsibility.

Meanwhile, in a statement issued by Department of Education regional director Salustiano Jimenez, the DepEd immediately coordinated with the PNP, the Schools Division Office of Tacloban City and school authorities to ensure the safety and security of learners, teaching and non-teaching personnel and all individuals within the school premises.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by this unfortunate incident, particularly the learners, personnel and families who may have experienced fear, trauma or distress as a result of the situation,” the statement said.