THE PHILIPPINE National Police (PNP) has formed a Special Investigation Task Group to conduct a more comprehensive investigation into the deadly shooting at Ateneo de Zamboanga University (ADZU).

During a Senate hearing led by the Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality, Zamboanga City Police Office Director Police Colonel Fidel Fortaleza said the task group will be composed of personnel from various police units, including the Anti-Cybercrime Group, to examine the shooter’s cellphone and other electronic devices.

Fortaleza said the initial investigation indicated that the student had a deliberate motive and intentionally bypassed the university’s main security checkpoint by entering through a ramp designated for persons with disabilities.

ADZU Board of Trustees Chairman Pedro Rufo Pocholo Soliven admitted that no security guard was assigned to the ramp because it was not intended to serve as a regular entrance for students.

In response to questions from Senator Erwin Tulfo, Fortaleza confirmed that investigators identified inconsistent security screening as one of the university’s security lapses.

He explained that students entering on foot undergo bag inspections, while those arriving in vehicles are subjected only to visual checks.

Police recommended the installation of metal detectors at entry points to strengthen campus security.

Fortaleza also recounted that the shooter went to the fourth floor and fired shots inside Room 405 before proceeding to Room 404, where the fatal shooting occurred. He then went to the fifth floor, where he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Police emphasized that the investigation remains ongoing and that authorities have yet to confirm reports that the shooter had threatened to attack the school before the incident.