PNP uses digital forensics in investigating Zamboanga school shooting

Police investigators are looking into digital evidence to establish how the shooting incident at the Ateneo de Zamboanga University Junior High School campus on August 18 was broadcast online and the minor suspect's motive.

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said police recovered a cellphone and other personal effects from the student who opened fire inside the school premises, killing one student 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,” he said in a statement on Thursday.

The recovered device is expected to help investigators establish the suspect’s online activities before, during, and after the shooting.

“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, noting that this is in line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s directive to strengthen measures that will make communities safe.

Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jonvic Remulla earlier said the suspect allegedly livestreamed the attack to a website called “Watch People Die,” using a body camera attached to his chest, giving viewers a “first-person shooter” perspective.

The PNP chief said that probers are examining whether the suspect planned the livestream and if 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 shooting in Zamboanga followed a series of violent incidents in schools, including the June 22 attack in Tacloban City that left three students dead.

Pact on boosting security inside schools

Meanwhile, Remulla said the DILG and the Department of Education (DepEd) are set to sign an agreement to strengthen security measures inside school premises.

Remulla, in a briefing on Wednesday afternoon, said the agreement seeks to strengthen security within school premises through the presence of barangay tanods, who are familiar, not only with their respective communities, but also with the students themselves.

“Ang hinihingi namin ay payagan ang barangay tanod na maglagay ng station sa loob ng mga eskuwelahan. Kasi ang mga barangay tanod kilala nila ‘yang mga batang ‘yan, puwede nilang kausapin, puwede nilang sitahin. So, yun ang hinihiling namin na further security step na pumasok doon (What we are asking for is to allow the barangay guards to set up stations inside the schools. Because the barangay guards know those children, they can talk to them, they can visit them. So that is what we are asking for as a further security step),” he explained.

The PNP’s presence is currently limited to school perimeters, Remulla said, emphasizing the need to strengthen security within school grounds, where incidents involving students may also take place.

He said the DepEd and the PNP earlier signed a memorandum circular directing police officers to monitor and implement security measures outside public schools nationwide.

Remulla noted that the agreement with DepEd will also address school bullying, citing practices implemented at Ateneo de Manila University as a possible benchmark for measures that may be adopted in other schools.

-Christopher Lloyd Caliwan/Philippine News Agency