Teenage Girl, Shooter in Critical Condition After School Shooting in Nueva Ecija

SANTA ROSA, NUEVA ECIJA — Two students are in critical condition following a shooting incident inside the Santa Rosa Integrated School on Thursday morning.

According to Police Major Williard Dulnuan, chief of the Santa Rosa Municipal Police Station, the shooting occurred around 10:45 a.m.

Initial reports indicate that an 18-year-old male student, enrolled in another school, entered the campus, approached a 15-year-old Grade 8 student inside her classroom, shot her at close range, and then shot himself.

“They were reportedly in a relationship but had recently broken up. He went to the classroom, approached her, and shot her,” Dulnuan said in Filipino.

Both the victim and the suspect were rushed to the Nueva Ecija Doctors' Hospital and remain in critical condition.

Authorities are still determining how the suspect managed to bring a firearm into the school. Security personnel were on duty at the time, but the suspect was able to enter the premises undetected.

“The suspect wasn’t carrying a bag, so it’s possible he concealed the weapon in his waistband,” Dulnuan added.

Police said the suspect entered the school alongside other parents and students who were arriving to pick up children.

The Department of Education's Division Office has launched a parallel investigation to assess possible lapses in school security and determine how the shooting occurred within the campus.

As of this writing, the families of both the victim and the suspect have not issued any statements