Teen shoots girlfriend, self in classroom

MANILA, Philippines –  A Manila policeman’s son shot his girlfriend in one of the classrooms at the Universidad de Manila (formerly known as the City College of Manila) yesterday, then turned the gun on himself.

The two political science students, both 17, are being treated at nearby hospitals. Classes were suspended for the rest of the day yesterday.

Senior Police Officer 3 Ramon Cureg of the Manila Police District Station 5 told The STAR that the couple was arguing – the girl reportedly wanted to end their relationship – at a third-floor classroom at around 11:20 a.m. when the boy used a .38-caliber revolver to shoot his girlfriend near her nose, then shot himself in the right temple. Police said the bullet tore through his skull and went out his left temple.

The girl was rushed to the Manila Doctors Hospital while the boy was brought to the Philippine General Hospital, Cureg said. As of 8 p.m. last night, the boy was reported to be fighting for his life while the girl is in stable condition.

Manila Police District director Chief Superintendent Roberto Rongavilla said the gun used in the shooting “looked like a (homemade gun) or a gun that was illegally bought. Investigators are still trying to check the owner of the gun and if there is a serial number so we could trace the original owner.”

Police have yet to determine how the boy was able to sneak the gun into the school. The MPD’s General Assignment Section (GAS), which is investigating the incident to determine who would face administrative charges, said there may have been a lapse by members of the City Security Force on duty at the time.

Police said the CSF commander initially said it was impossible for a student to smuggle a gun into the school due to the tight security at the university’s gates, and suggested that the boy could have climbed a fence to bring in the weapon.

Rongavilla said they may also investigate the boy’s policeman-father, but refused to name him as of press time. Asked if the father would be liable, Rongavilla said the father “has no liability here. The firearm is not a police-issued firearm. And the boy is already 17 years old. He already has discernment.”

He said the parents’ liability will still be determined by the court and the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

“We have lots of cases where a minor is involved and the parents are never liable for their actions,” Rongavilla said. “The only one to be charged is the boy.”