At least 3 students killed, 8 wounded in shooting at Philippine high school

A shooting at a school in the Philippines left at least three people dead and eight others wounded.

According to AFP and local outlets including ABS-CBN, a teenage student opened fire at Banga National High School in the Banga area of South Cotabato province on Mindanao island in the southern Philippines at around 1:18 p.m. Friday (local time).

The shooting killed the suspect and two other students and left eight students wounded, Banga Mayor Albert Palencia said. Four of the injured were in critical condition.

The suspect, a ninth-grade student, killed one male and one female classmate before taking his own life, according to authorities.

Mayor Palencia said the suspect — a child of a Ministry of Education civil servant — retrieved a 9mm pistol from a safe at home and used it in the attack. The suspect had also told two friends shortly before the shooting that he planned to carry out the act right after lunch.

South Cotabato Governor Reynaldo Tamayo said initial investigation results included a statement from a friend of the suspect indicating he had been a member of an online community with an interest in real-life crime. Local authorities in Banga suspended all classes in the area immediately after the shooting.