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A screenshot from a trailer of Roblox-like shooting mobile game Gorebox.
MANILA, Philippines — One of the minors in the Tacloban City school shooting had a history of playing a game described by police as violent, the Eastern Visayas police said Tuesday, June 23.
In a phone interview with reporters, Police Regional Office 8 Director Brig. Gen. Jason Capoy said investigators found that one of the suspects played a game called "Gorebox."
"Just like the Roblox, may laro. May shooting, shooting din. May ganoong firearm. Medyo bayolente yung laro," Capoy said.
(Just like Roblox, there is a game. There is also shooting. There is that kind of firearm. The game is somewhat violent.)
Capoy said the 14-year-old suspect was the one who played the game.
According to descriptions on gaming platforms Steam and Google Play, "Gorebox"—which is rated for gamers aged 18 and above—is a "chaotic physics-driven sandbox where creativity meets destruction."
Firearm knowledge
Capoy said one of the underaged suspects had basic knowledge of firearm handling from a previous visit to a shooting range, including how to release and reload a magazine.
Investigators also flagged viral screenshots of text messages allegedly involving the suspects, which Capoy said suggested they had studied the crime and read up on the law.
"Napakabilis ng pagkalat ng mga screenshot doon sa text messages nila. Nakakabahala din dahil parang may alam sila. Inaral din nila. Nagbabasa din ng batas," Capoy said.
(The screenshots of their text messages spread incredibly fast. It is also alarming because it seems they knew something. They studied it and were also reading the law.)
Casualty count
As of 8 a.m. on June 23, the Tacloban City local government, citing the PNP, said 15 people suffered gunshot wounds while five others sustained non-gunshot injuries.
Three people were killed in the shooting.
Capoy said the aunt of one of the suspects, a police officer, has been placed under restrictive custody.
