In this handout photo provided by the Philippine Red Cross, Red Cross members arrive at Banga National High School in the town of Banga, Philippines, Friday, Sept. 18, 2026. (Philippine Red Cross via AP)
Republished September 18, 2026 - 2:55 AM
Original Publication Date September 18, 2026 - 2:01 AM
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A shooting at a high school in the southern Philippines on Friday left two 14-year-old students and the teenage gunman dead and wounded at least 10 people, local government and police officials said.
The shooting at Banga National High School in the South Cotabato town of Banga “remains under investigation,” the Philippine National Police said in a statement. Police officers secured the campus and coordinated with school officials and medical responders, the statement said.
South Cotabato Governor Reynaldo Tamayo said the two students killed were a boy and a girl, both 14. He said the gunman was the third person who died.
Ten wounded people were being treated at two hospitals, while another person was hospitalized after hyperventilating, Tamayo said.
Tamayo said the gunman’s best friend told officials that the teenager was a member of a “true crime community.” Authorities were investigating the account and whether it had any connection to the shooting, he said.
News from © The Associated Press, 2026