PNP: Shooters planned school attack for over a month

MANILA, Philippines — The two student suspects in the shooting at San Jose National High School in Tacloban City had allegedly been planning the attack for more than a month, authorities uncovered.

Investigators said screenshots of online conversations between the suspects and interviews conducted after their arrest showed that the two minors had been planning the attack as early as May 1.

Police said the suspects were also aware that they were about to commit a serious crime, but appeared unconcerned because they believed they would be released quickly under the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act.

“They could release us at 18-21 if we change inside,” one of the suspects reportedly said in a Facebook Messenger conversation.

Education Secretary Sonny Angara added yesterday that the incident was not spontaneous but carefully planned, noting that one of the suspects showed unusual behavior prior to the attack.

“The adviser said one of the two minors was just quiet, and he asked permission (from the adviser that he will be absent) as he had an activity in Manila. He didn’t go to school for a week. Then this happened when he returned. It really seems like, although it doesn’t seem definitive, it seems like it was really planned,” he said.

Boys jumped over school fence

Angara said the two minors separately entered the school campus by jumping over the fence, carrying the concealed firearms.

One of the suspects, a 14-year-old identified only as Nash, arrived at the school at around 7:30 a.m. and even attended the flag-raising ceremony with fellow students.

When the 15-year-old suspect, identified as Rod, arrived at around 8 a.m., the two roamed the campus with concealed handguns.

At around 9:20 a.m., the suspects entered two classrooms and opened fire on their classmates.

Police said the attackers were initially looking for a student they allegedly believed had bullied them.

“They did not find the person they were looking for, so they went back. They appeared to make a tactical movement along the entire stretch of the corridor and then started firing indiscriminately through the windows,” Eastern Visayas police director Brig. Gen. Jason Capoy said.

Three students – two girls and one boy – were killed, while 20 others were injured. Fifteen sustained gunshot wounds while five suffered injuries while fleeing from the school.

Authorities recovered 48 bullet casings, along with deformed bullets, fired bullets and an empty magazine from the scene.

Rod was subdued by a police intelligence operative and Bureau of Fire Protection personnel at around 9:30 a.m. A .38-caliber handgun containing five live rounds and a fired slug was recovered from him.

Nash, meanwhile, was arrested in a residential area near the school at around 11:15 a.m.

Investigators said Nash allegedly used a Glock 9mm pistol registered to his aunt, a police staff sergeant and lawyer, while Rod used a .38-caliber revolver reportedly taken from his grandfather, a former security guard.

Police said Nash fired most of the shots and even reloaded during the attack.

Capoy added that Nash was familiar with firearms because his aunt had previously brought him to a shooting range.

Hooked on GoreBox

Findings also showed that Nash was hooked on GoreBox, a violent online game similar to Roblox that may have influenced his behavior.

Access to GoreBox has been temporarily blocked by the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center.

The policewoman will face dismissal from service for failing to secure her firearm which her nephew used in the shooting.

Philippine National Police chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez ordered the filing of criminal cases against the policewoman and the former security guard.

“With all the pieces of evidence available, I expect a solid case that can stand in court. Let this serve as a warning to all registered gun owners on the responsibility – and accountability – that comes with the privilege of owning firearms,” Nartatez said.

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) have launched a parallel probe into the shooting.

“I already informed our Tacloban office to conduct an investigation because there are more questions that need to be answered, such as where the gun came from, how it was brought inside the school and what really happened,” NBI Director Melvin Matibag told Bilyonaryo News Channel.

“Schools, serving as children’s second homes, are mandated to be zones of peace and primary sanctuaries for the realization of the right to education. Any act of violence within these premises is a direct assault on the fundamental rights of children to learn and thrive in a secure, nurturing environment,” CHR added in a separate statement.

Authorities are looking into possible security lapses and whether criminal liability may apply under the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act.

School safety protocols are also being reviewed while police visibility in schools has been increased.

Angara said psychosocial support for students, teachers and school personnel affected by the attack will be provided. — Emmanuel Tupas, Mark Ernest Villeza