THE 14-year-old suspect in the June 22, 2026 tragic shooting incident inside a school in Tacloban City appears to have an obsession for online game “Gorebox,” which has violent graphics, said Eastern Visayas Police Director Brigadier General Jason Capoy on Tuesday, June 23, 2026.
“Yes, just like the Roblox may laro, may shooting. Shooting din, mga ganung firearms. Medyo bayolente po ‘yung laro. As per information, ‘yung 14 years old lang po ang naano natin na naglalaro doon,” he said.
(Yes, just like in the game Roblox, there is shooting. There are shootings and firearms involved. The game is somewhat violent. Based on the information we have, the 14-year-old was the one we identified as playing it.)
GoreBox is a physics-based sandbox video game that gives players a large degree of freedom to create, experiment, and cause destruction within a virtual environment. Because of its graphic violence, GoreBox is generally considered unsuitable for young children and is more appropriate for mature audiences.
Three students were killed, while 20 others were wounded when two minor suspects, aged 14 and 15, opened fire inside the San Jose National HighSchool in Tacloban City on June 22, 2026.
The 14-year-old suspect used the service firearm issued to her police aunt, while the other suspect used a caliber .38 revolver believed to be owned by his grandfather, who is a former security guard.
“Doon sa .9mm Glock, ‘yung 40 empty shells doon nanggaling kasi as per record isang beses lang naiputok ‘yung revolver. Narecover natin with intact live five ammunition doon sa revolver, isa lang naiputok,” said Capoy.
(The 40 empty shell casings came from the 9mm Glock because, based on the records, the revolver was fired only once. We recovered the revolver with five live rounds still intact, indicating that only one shot had been fired from it.)
“Actually, at one point in time, nadala daw kasi ito (14 years old) sa shooting range. Hindi naman siya ganun kagaling or kabihasa but alam niya paano i-manipulate ‘yung pag-release ng magazine, pag-reload,” he added.
(Actually, at one point, the 14-year-old was reportedly taken to a shooting range. He was not particularly skilled or highly experienced, but he knew how to handle the firearm, such as releasing the magazine and reloading it.)
Capoy said it appears that the suspects planned the crime for over a month, confirming the viral screenshots of exchange of messages between the two.
Based on the conversation of the minor suspects, they are aware of Republic Act 9344, or the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act, which is the main law in the Philippines that protects children who committed a crime.
“Yes, napakabilis ng pagkalat ng mga screenshots doon sa text messages nila at nakakabahala din dahil parang inaaral din nila, nagbabasa ng batas pero ganunpaman, nagbigay ng mensahe ‘yung local government natin dito na talagang mananagot base doon sa batas,” said Capoy.
(Yes, the screenshots spread very quickly through their text messages, and that is also concerning because it seems they are studying and reading the law. Nevertheless, our local government has sent a clear message that those responsible will be held accountable under the law.)
Under the law, children 15 years old or younger cannot go to jail while those within the age range of 15 to 18 might be exempt from criminal charges unless they acted with understanding.
Instead of going to court, a child may enter a rehabilitation program to help them learn from their mistakes without a criminal record.
The conversation also showed the 14-year-old suspect being more aggressive for the shooting than the older suspect.
“’Yung sa side ng bullying, tinitingnan natin ano kasi base doon sa isang witness, pagdating nila dito sa dulo ng corridor, ito si age 15, ito ‘yung nag verify kung nandun ‘yung target nila. However, negative daw doon ‘yung hinahanap nila, so bumalik, so para silang nag-tactical movement papunta doon sa whole stretch ng corridor at basta-basta na lang pumutok doon sa windows,” said Capoy.
(As for the bullying aspect, we are looking into it because, based on one witness, when they reached the end of the corridor, the 15-year-old was the one who verified whether their target was there. However, the person they were looking for was reportedly not there, so they went back. It seemed like they made tactical movements along the entire stretch of the corridor and then suddenly fired shots through the windows.)
“May isa tayo nainterview isa sa victim, witness na kaibigan din ng dalawa. Madalas daw kasi nakakantiyawan ito sa facial (features ‘yung 14 years old) nung mga ibang kabataan kaya siguro kung bullying man ang tawag nun, baka yun na nga,” he added.
(We interviewed one of the victims, a witness who was also a friend of the two. The 14-year-old was often teased about his facial features by other young people, so if that could be considered bullying, then that might be it.)
Capoy said the police aunt of the younger suspect has already been placed under restrictive custody amid investigation on her alleged negligence in safekeeping her service weapon. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)