By Hannah Torregoza
Police officials told Senate probers on Thursday, Aug. 20, that investigators are now zeroing in on the motive behind the Ateneo de Zamboanga University shooting, where a student killed a schoolmate before taking his own life.
Zamboanga City Police Director PCol. Fidel Fortaleza said one theory being pursued is how the shooter managed to sneak in two licensed firearms, bypassing security checks by entering through a ramp area with fewer guards.
“That is one angle we are looking at—that there was indeed a motive for him to bring a weapon and shoot our victim,” Fortaleza said.
The student reportedly carried the guns inside a bag after being dropped off by a pickup truck, then went straight to the fourth floor where he opened fire in two classrooms before moving to the fifth floor and shooting himself.
Responding officers witnessed the suicide after issuing warnings for him to drop the weapon.
Fortaleza added that police are conducting a forensic examination of the shooter’s iPhone to uncover possible digital evidence that may shed light on his motive.
Investigators are also studying the liability of the shooter’s father, the registered gun owner, for failing to secure the firearms.
AdZU Chairman Pedro Rufo Soliven confirmed that the ramp used by the shooter was intended only for persons with disabilities or injured students, stressing that the school had deployed 25 guards at its entry points.
He said reports of prior threats remain unverified as the university continues its own probe.
