PNP digs into digital trail of Zamboanga school shooter
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The Philippine National Police (PNP) has begun examining digital evidence recovered from the minor behind the Ateneo de Zamboanga University shooting as investigators seek to determine how the attack was broadcast online and what may have driven him to carry it out.
PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. on Thursday said police recovered a cellphone and other personal effects from the Grade 8 student who opened fire inside the school on 18 August, killing a classmate and injuring several others before taking his own life.
“We will examine the cellphone and other digital evidence carefully and will not conclude until the investigation is completed. The PNP is looking into whether there were prior incidents, threats, or warning signs involving the shooter that could have alerted authorities,” Nartatez said.
The investigation is in line with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive, through Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla, to strengthen measures aimed at keeping communities safe.
Nartatez said the recovered device could help investigators reconstruct the minor’s online activities before and during the shooting. Police are also examining his possible involvement in online games and other digital platforms to determine whether they had any connection to the attack.
“We are also looking into the online activities of the minor, including possible involvement in online games or other digital platforms, to determine whether these had any connection to the incident,” Nartatez said.
Remulla earlier said the shooter allegedly livestreamed the attack to a website called “Watch People Die” using a body camera attached to his chest, giving viewers a first-person perspective of the attack.
Nartatez said investigators are looking into whether the livestream had been planned beforehand and whether other individuals were involved in distributing the footage.
“We would like to find out what’s in the mind of this child having a firearm, shooting at his fellow students, fellow minors, and why he did this,” Nartatez said.
The Zamboanga shooting followed another deadly school attack in Tacloban City in June that left three students dead.
