On August 18, 2026, a Grade 9 student named Mohammad Mael Jalani opened fire at Ateneo de Zamboanga University’s high school campus in the southern Philippines. After apparently missing a teacher, he shot and killed a Grade 10 student on the fourth floor and then went to the fifth floor to kill himself, according to Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla. Two other people were wounded in the attack, and Al Jazeera Breaking News reported that the gunman apparently livestreamed his movement down a hallway.
Hundreds of students were evacuated following the gunshots. One of the two pistols used belonged to the suspect’s father, who is a Bureau of Customs police commander. Officials have not yet released a specific motive for the shooting, which marks the second fatal school incident in the Philippines within two months and has renewed public debate over school security and gun access.