'Bullying victims?': Cops dig deeper to establish reason behind Tacloban school gun attack
Police are pursuing the information they received that the two shooters in Tacloban City school are bullying victims amid the efforts of the investigators to establish what prompted the two high school students to engage in gun violence that left three people dead and seven others injured on Monday morning, June 22.
Police Brig. Gen. Jason Capoy, director of the Police Regional Office- 8, said most of the victims are Grade 9 students from the two classrooms where the two gunmen fired their guns— a 38 revolver and a 9mm pistol.
“They (shooters) are both Grade 9 students from the same school. They are close friends,” said Capoy.
One of the gunmen is 15 years old while the other one is 14.
“This is not confirmed yet but they have been allegedly victims of bullying since Grade 7. The interview is ongoing with the help from the DSWD (Department of Social Welfare and Development), teachers and school officials,” he added.
Based on the initial investigation, the two students appeared to have sneaked the guns into the schools in one of the several entry points of the San Jose National High School in Tacloban City.
According to Capoy, there is one security guard on duty and at the time of the shooting, he was in the guard house.
Police are yet to establish if the two shooters were targeting certain students amid reports that the two suspects were seen pursuing someone after firing their guns inside a classroom.
One Capoy said one of the suspects was arrested inside the school while another one was collared in a follow-up operation outside the school.
Police are yet to establish the source of the firearms used by the two students in the shooting.