Crime & Public Safety
Philippines school shooting kills two students
A Grade nine student killed two classmates and then himself at Banga National High School in South Cotabato province in the southern Philippines on Friday, officials told AFP.
Local rescuers received a call about gunfire on the campus in Mindanao at about 1:30 pm, disaster agency worker Rizalie Dedel said. Dedel said one male and one female student were killed.
South Cotabato governor Reynaldo Tamayo said the shooter was a classmate of the victims, was also in Grade nine and acted alone. He said at least three people were being treated for gunshot wounds at a local hospital.
Tamayo said the shooter used a “very well-maintained” nine-millimetre handgun. Banga Mayor Albert Palencia said in a radio interview that the suspect, the son of Department of Education officials, had taken the gun from a home safe and had warned two friends of his plan to carry out the shooting “right after lunch”.
Police have not confirmed the age of the shooter.
AFP said it verified a Facebook video showing a man carrying what appeared to be a wounded child from the school and rushing him into the sidecar of a waiting motorbike.
The shooting was the Philippines' third deadly campus attack since June. It came one month after a student livestreamed himself shooting a schoolmate dead before taking his own life at another school in Mindanao. Live shooter drills were conducted across the Philippines this month, and Palencia said the Banga shooter's parents were involved in the drills there.
Update
Officials said the two people killed were Grade nine students, one male and one female.
South Cotabato governor Reynaldo Tamayo said the shooter was a Grade nine classmate of the victims and acted alone.
Officials said the shooter killed himself after the attack.
Tamayo said at least three people were being treated for gunshot wounds at a local hospital.
Banga Mayor Albert Palencia said the suspect took a nine-millimetre handgun from a home safe and had warned two friends of his plan.
Source note: AFP news report published on 18 September 2026 at 09:19:48 UTC.
Update
The shooting was reported at Banga National High School in South Cotabato province in Mindanao at about 1:30 pm local time.
South Cotabato Governor Reynaldo Tamayo said the situation was stable and the case was contained.
AFP said it confirmed a Facebook video showing a man carrying what appeared to be a wounded child from the school into a motorbike sidecar.
Another video included a teacher saying in a local dialect that there were two shooters, with a student insisting they were outsiders.
Nationwide live shooter drills were conducted this month after two rare school shootings in recent months.
Source note: AFP news report published on 18 September 2026 at 07:50:22 UTC.
Update
At least seven people were being treated in hospital.
Regional disaster agency worker Rolly Aquino said he understood the two people killed were both students, while details remained incomplete.
It was not immediately clear how many shooters were involved.
The shooting was described as the Philippines' third deadly campus incident since June.
Source note: AFP news report published on 18 September 2026 at 07:35:04 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
Police have not confirmed the age of the shooter.
The motive for the shooting was not established in the supplied information.
Source
AFP news report published on .