Students reported dead in Banga National High School shooting - GMA Network

Several students were reported dead while others were injured in a shooting incident at Banga National High School in Banga, South Cotabato Friday afternoon.

Banga Mayor Albert Palencia said at least three students were killed and eight others were injured.

“Bale yung nasawi kanina lahat-lahat, tatlo tapos walo 'yung sugatan (All in all, around three were killed while eight others were injured),” Palencia told Super Radyo dzBB.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development initially reported at least six deaths and 17 injuries. It later revised the figures to three deaths and eight injuries.

A subsequent police report also said that three students died, including the shooter. However, it placed the number of injured students at seven, rather than eight.

According to Palencia, the shooter was a Grade 9 student. The shooter allegedly told his friends that after lunch, they should go home. He warned them that he might do something bad.

After lunch, he left his classroom and opened fire in the neighboring classroom. The classroom adviser had left for a moment.

Palencia said the shooter brought two magazines for a 9 mm gun. After he opened fire on other students, the shooter reportedly turned the gun on himself after changing magazines.

The student reportedly got the gun from his father, who is an employee of the Department of Education.

“Yung papa niya, shooter din. At saka empleyado ng DepEd Region XII. Kaya 'yung baril, tinatago sa vault, sinira ng bata 'yung vault at saka dinala 'yung baril sa eskwelahan,” Palencia said.

(His father was a shooter, also. And an employee of DepEd Region XII. So the gun was hidden in the vault, the kid broke the vault, and then he brought the gun to school.)

The mayor said he learned that the shooter’s mother had planned to take her child to seek psychiatric help.

The shooter’s sibling is also a teacher in the school.

His father was in General Santos, teaching about child safety.

The police also reported that the shooter was part of a True Crime Community, an online group interested in violent crimes, Palencia said.

The mayor described the child as smart and athletic. The shooter reportedly got a grade of 76, which caused him to be depressed.

Asked how the child was able to bring the gun into the school, Palencia said there was only one security guard for about 3,000 students, making it impossible to check everyone.

In a video statement from South Cotabato Governor Reynaldo Tamayo Jr., he asked citizens to remain calm. Tamayo said that the case was isolated and the investigation was ongoing.

“Hindi pa nabigay 'yung final investigation report pero base sa sa aming nakita at narinig dito ay, lima yung affected na mga kabataan, apat ang naging biktima at isa yung suspect. Ang suspect ay nagbaril din sa kanyang sarili,” Tamayo said.

(The final investigation report has not been given but based on what we saw and heard, there were five kids affected, four of them were victims and one is the suspect. The suspect shot himself.)

Tamayo said that some of those brought to the hospital were in critical condition.

In a video from GMA Regional TV reporter Efren Mamac, Banga National High School Assistant Coordinator Eddie Magdayao Jr. said that the shooter and the victims were students in the school.

“Lahat po ng na-involve ay estudyante natin dito sa Banga National High School (Those involved were students here at the Banga National High School),” Magdayao said.

There were no teachers involved in the shooting incident, he said. —AOL/VBL, GMA News