Two teenagers aged 14 and 15 allegedly opened fire inside a classroom in Tacloban City, killing three students and injuring 20 others on June 22, 2026 [1, 2, 3, 4]. Police said the 14-year-old suspect fired a 9mm pistol registered to his aunt, a policewoman suspended after the shooting, while the 15-year-old used a .38 caliber pistol linked to his grandfather's security company [4]. The younger suspect is considered too young to be charged under Philippine law, but murder charges were filed against the 15-year-old [1, 4].
Authorities found that the 14-year-old was a player of GoreBox, a first-person shooter game rated R18+ for its extremely violent content by the International Age Rating Coalition [1, 3, 4]. The Philippine Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Centre (CICC) temporarily blocked the game pending a review to assess whether it influenced the suspects' actions [1, 2, 3, 4]. "We cannot ignore possible online influences that may have contributed to this tragic incident," said CICC undersecretary Aboy Paraiso [1]. He added the ban allows authorities to conduct a thorough assessment and that monitoring of online spaces posing risks to youth will be reinforced [1, 3].
Police noted the 14-year-old had posted violent content online and appeared heavily influenced by such material, with initial interviews suggesting the shootings may have been retaliation for bullying at school [1, 3, 4]. Senator Risa Hontiveros called for action against online platforms perceived to radicalize youth, stating, "If the internet is used to persecute children, we will not wait for the next victim to appear before taking action" [4].
Mass shootings are rare in the Philippines despite common gun crimes [1, 3]. The justice department is investigating if the attack fits a pattern of nihilistic violent extremism [3]. Political leaders have also called for tougher penalties on allowing minors access to firearms and scrutiny of online content [1, 4]. The developer of GoreBox, Germany-based F2Games, has not responded to requests for comment [1, 2, 3, 4].
The Philippine police filed formal murder charges against the 15-year-old suspect on June 23, 2026, a day after the shooting and the temporary ban on GoreBox was announced by the cybercrime agency [1, 2, 4].
