Two teenage students arrested after high-school shooting in Tacloban kills three
Police say two minors, aged 14 and 15, opened fire at San Jose National High School in Tacloban, killing three students and injuring seven, and were taken into custody.
Two students, a 14-year-old and a 15-year-old, entered San Jose National High School in Tacloban and fired handguns, killing three classmates and wounding seven others, police said. The victims and suspects were all enrolled at the government-run school, which serves more than 1,500 students.
Regional police chief Brig. Gen. Jason Capoy said the suspects told investigators they had been bullied, but provided no further details. He added that one shooter obtained a 9 mm pistol from an aunt who is a police officer, while the other used a .38 revolver. Both weapons were brought onto the campus because only a single guard was on duty at the multiple entrances.
"The suspects barged into two rooms because after the shooting in the first, the children scampered and the suspects apparently ran after some victims into another room," Capoy told reporters.
Police recovered about 40 shell casings at the scene. One suspect was apprehended inside the school after the attack; the second fled, hid nearby, and was later located after residents alerted authorities.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered a comprehensive investigation and called for heightened security in schools and public places, Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said.
"The president was saddened by this incident. Anybody, especially the parents of the victims, will feel sad and terrified," Castro said.
Because the shooters are minors, they will be transferred to government welfare officers after the inquiry. Under a 2006 law, the 14-year-old is exempt from criminal prosecution unless authorities determine he fully understood the crime and its consequences. Police urged the public to stay calm and cooperate with the investigation.
