Student Kills Two Colleagues and Injures Four at School in Brazil

10/23/2017 - 11h48

A 14-year-old student at a private school in the central Brazilian city of Goiania pulled a gun out of his backpack that belonged to his parents - both of whom are police officers - and shot at classmates, killing two and injuring four.

The shooting took place on the morning of Friday (the 20th). The teenager told police that his actions were the result of bullying. Students at the school said that bullies called him a "stinker".

The two teenagers who were killed were both 13 years old. Of the four students who were injured, three are female, and one is male. At least one of the female victims is in critical condition. All victims were eighth-grade students at the Goyases school. The perpetrator was taken into custody by police.

The shooter used a .40 pistol used by the Military Policy. The gun belonged to his mother, who is a lieutenant. According to what was reported to police by the boy's father, who is a major, she was hospitalized after feeling ill. At least 11 shots were fired, some of which got lodged in the walls and floor of the classroom.

Police reported that the teenager was contained by the school coordinator. At one point, he put the gun to his own head, but she convinced him not to shoot. He then shot at the floor and told the coordinator to call the police.

The captain overseeing the case said that the teenager locked the gun but did not hand it over to the coordinator, who took him to the library and called the police.

According to captain Luiz Gonzaga Júnior, only one of the students killed was an actual target. "In a moment of emotional instability, he ended up striking the others." Students at the school were in shock.

"This isn't happening. The school year is over", said one student. The school, which is attended by middle-class students, is in the eastern district of Goiânia.

Translated by THOMAS MATHEWSON

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	Cleomar Almeida/Folhapress
	The two teenagers who were killed were both 13 years old