A deadly late-night shooting outside a primary school designated as a polling center left three individuals dead and 15 others wounded on Sunday, casting a grim shadow over the historic Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) parliamentary elections.
The violence erupted around 11:40 p.m. at Datu Usman Mampen Elementary School in Barangay Bagua 2, where eager voters had already begun gathering ahead of the balloting.
Cotabato City police spokesperson Lt. Rochelle Evangelista said tension mounted as citizens lined up to secure their positions for the vote. The situation rapidly deteriorated after another group arrived at the school premises.
“Suddenly, there was pushing, an argument, and then shooting (between the group and another group), leading to the death of three and injury to 15 others,” said Evangelista.
Among the three victims who lost their lives in the clash was a senior citizen, Evangelista confirmed.
Crime scene operatives processing the area recovered spent shell casings from both .45-caliber and 9 mm handguns, indicating that multiple firearms were discharged during the altercation.
Law enforcement agencies have launched an extensive investigation to identify the perpetrators behind the initial escalation.
“Our investigating team is still in the process of identifying them. We don’t have any concrete names yet, but we are continuing with the conduct of the investigation,” she said.