2026 Zamboanga City school shooting
School shooting in the Philippines
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
On August 18, 2026, a school shooting occurred at the junior high school building of the Ateneo de Zamboanga University in Zamboanga City, Philippines. Two people were killed, including the gunman, and 23 others were injured.
Ateneo de Zamboanga University, Zamboanga City, Philippines
c. 7:50 a.m. (PHT)
| 2026 Zamboanga City school shooting | |
|---|---|
The building where the shooting occurred, pictured in 2019 | |
| Location | 6°56′43″N 122°5′3″E Ateneo de Zamboanga University, Zamboanga City, Philippines |
| Date | August 18, 2026 c. 7:50 a.m. (PHT) |
| Target | Students and staff |
Attack type | School shooting, mass shooting, murder–suicide |
| Weapons |
|
| Deaths | 2 (including the perpetrator) |
| Injured | 23 (one by gunshot) |
| Perpetrator | Mohammad Mael Jalani |
| Motive | Stress, depression, academic pressure, and bullying |
Background
The Ateneo de Zamboanga University is a private, Catholic, co-educational, basic and higher education institution founded in 1912 by Jesuits as an all-boys parochial school of the Zamboanga Cathedral.[1] The school is a five-story building on a 19.8 acres (8.0 ha) site that houses the university's grade school and junior high school students.[2] The school has 25 security guards, of which 15 are on duty in the morning while the other 10 are on duty at night.[3]
School shootings are rare in the Philippines, which has relatively strict gun ownership regulations, including background checks and psychological evaluation requirements, although illegal firearms remain in circulation.[4] In June 2026, two students opened fire at a public high school in Tacloban, killing three people and injuring 20 others before being arrested.[5] Following the Tacloban shooting, the university began to conduct active shooter drills.[6]
Shooting
The perpetrator drove his father's car to the campus and entered the school's basement to avoid being frisked.[7] He concealed the firearms in a bag.[8] Police received calls of a shooting at the university at approximately 7:50 a.m. PHT. The shooter started a Facebook livestream on a body camera before he walked to a classroom door on the fourth floor and pointed a gun at a teacher.[9][10] His gun jammed before it fired a shot, making people run to another classroom.[11] The gunman proceeded to fix the jam and fire numerous shots into the other classroom, killing a student.[12] The shooter then held the body camera to show his face, and proceeded to shoot himself at the side of his head while simultaneously ending the livestream.[13] The weapons used in the shooting were found nearby.[14]
Victims
Fifteen-year-old Patrick Dylan Wee, a Grade 10 student, was killed and 23 others were injured.[11][15] A 15-year-old girl suffered a gunshot wound to the back, a 16-year-old boy was transported to hospital for shortness of breath, and 21 others were treated at the scene for injuries sustained while attempting to flee and panic attacks.[16][17] False reports said four people were killed, including the shooter and two security guards, and nine others were injured.[18] It was later determined that no staff or security guards were harmed.[19]
Perpetrator
The perpetrator was identified by police as Mohammad Mael Jalani,[11] a Grade 8 student who used a 9 mm caliber pistol with a modification kit and a Glock 22 .40 caliber pistol.[20][21][15] The pistol with the modification kit was initially thought to have been a high-powered rifle.[22] The Glock used in the shooting was issued by the Bureau of Customs to his father, an enforcement official at the Port of Zamboanga, while the other gun was the father's licensed personal firearm. Jalani stole both firearms from his father's car that brought him to school.[23][24] Following the shooting, Jalani's father was placed under preventive suspension.[25] The father said that Jalani had no experience with firearms.[26] Investigators are looking into the gaming and messaging history of Jalani.[27] Jalani was reportedly under pressure over his grades and suffering from depression.[28]
Zamboanga City mayor Khymer Adan Olaso described Jalani as a "very bright student" and a "Roblox fanatic".[29] Interior secretary Jonvic Remulla said Jalani was "top of the class" with no previous incidents of bullying.[30]
Aftermath
Classes at the Ateneo de Zamboanga University were suspended for the rest of the day by the mayor, while the university later extended the suspension to August 20 to allow the school community to recover from the incident, leading into the Ninoy Aquino Day holiday on August 21.[31][32][33] A thorough investigation into the shooting was ordered.[34] The Zamboanga City government urged the public to refrain from spreading unverified information and footage of the attack.[35] Facebook suspended the shooter's account.[36] The Department of Education (DepEd) said it is coordinating with its mental health partners to provide psychological first aid and psychosocial support to people affected by the attack.[37]
Reactions
President Bongbong Marcos ordered authorities and agencies to strengthen protection for students, and expressed condolences to the families of the deceased.[38] Davao City and Negros Oriental also strengthened security measures in schools.[39][40]
Jonvic Remulla said the shooting strengthened calls for changes in firearm law.[41] He also called on Congress to pass a law that bans first-person shooter games.[15]
Ateneo de Zamboanga University president Father Guillrey Anthony Andal declared a day of mourning and prayer on the day after the shooting.[42] A day of mourning was also declared across Zamboanga City for August 19 by mayor Olaso.[43]
See also
- Ateneo de Manila University shooting, another school shooting within another Jesuit educational institution in 2022
- 2026 Tacloban school shooting, another school shooting that occurred in the Philippines in 2026
- List of filmed mass shootings
- Livestreamed crime