Teachers, students help stop suspect in Tacloban school shooting

TACLOBAN CITY — Teachers, students, and parents helped prevent one of the suspects in the deadly shooting at San Jose National High School from fleeing, as the second suspect later surrendered to authorities, bringing both alleged perpetrators under police custody.

Tacloban City Police Director Col. Noelito Getigan said the first suspect, a minor, was restrained by fellow students and several parents inside the school campus immediately after the shooting and held until police arrived.

The second suspect, also a minor, surrendered several hours later and was turned over to authorities by a neighbor who brought him to Police Station 1.

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READ: Both suspects in Tacloban City school shooting arrested — police

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Getigan said police received information that the second suspect was hiding inside his residence, located about 200 meters from San Jose National High School.

“We received information that the suspect was inside their house, and we immediately proceeded there,” Getigan said in an interview.

Police officers arrived at the residence at around 10 a.m., barely an hour after the shooting. Witnesses told investigators that the boy was inside the house but did not come out when authorities arrived.

“He was inside their house, according to several bystanders. But he did not go out, probably because he was frightened. After all, he is a minor,” Getigan said.

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Officers eventually left the area, but shortly afterward, a neighbor, identified as a tricycle driver, escorted the suspect to the police station and turned him over to authorities.

“He did not resist and, based on our investigators’ initial interview, he admitted involvement in the incident,” Getigan said.

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The police chief added that the suspect claimed he had been a victim of bullying.

READ: Tacloban City school shooting suspects may have been bullied

The shooting occurred at around 9 a.m., just over an hour after classes began at San Jose National High School, one of the largest public secondary schools in Tacloban City, with more than 1,600 students and over 110 teachers.

Three students were killed, and five others were wounded in the attack, sending shockwaves through the school community and prompting education officials to suspend classes indefinitely as authorities investigate the incident and provide psychological support to students, teachers, and affected families.

Getigan declined to provide additional details about the suspects or the circumstances surrounding the attack, citing the ongoing investigation and the fact that both suspects are minors.

Police investigators are now working to reconstruct the sequence of events and determine what triggered the violence.

“We are still gathering evidence and statements from witnesses. The investigation is continuing,” Getigan said.

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Authorities have yet to establish a definitive motive for the shooting./coa