Brazil School Shooting: Teenage School Shooter Planned Attack, Wore Swastika

The death toll in the Brazilian school shooting has now risen, and new details about the teenage school shooter have also surfaced, as police revealed that he had been planning the attacks for two years.

RTE reported that with the death of one teacher, the death toll has risen to four and the number of injured is now 10.

Authorities also revealed that as the shooter was going on his rampage, he had a swastika pinned to his bullet-proof vest.

He shot up two schools in the small town of Aracruz in Espirito Santo state, resulting in the deaths of three teachers and one student, as well as injuring many others.

The suspect was identified as a former student of one of the schools, and his age is 16. However, Brazilian authorities have not released his name on the account that he is still a minor.

More Details on School Shooter's Actions Revealed

The suspect first hit his former school, a public school in Aracruz, by destroying the padlock and making his way to the teachers' lounge, where he started shooting, killing three teachers.

He then made his way to a private school across the street and started shooting there as well. His rampage took the life of a female student.

According to the Associated Press, the teenage suspect used his family's car to travel between the two schools. He reportedly kept its license plate hidden with a piece of cloth.

Espirito Santo public security secretary Marcio Celante told the media that he was armed with two weapons and wore a bulletproof vest where police reported that a swastika was pinned.

His first weapon is a semiautomatic weapon belonging to the military police. He reportedly got the weapon from his father, a military police officer. His second weapon is a revolver registered to his father.

The suspect himself has already been apprehended and is currently being held at a facility for underaged criminals, according to The Guardian. He was reportedly receiving psychiatric treatment but his school was never told any of this.

"This shows how the violence culture is a reality for some people, especially young people. This is a mental health issue which society has to deal with nowadays," said Espirito Santo Governor Renato Casagrande.

Brazil and School Shootings

School shootings are considered uncommon in Brazil. However, they have been becoming more and more frequent in recent years.

In the state of Bahia, another teenager used his father's gun to shoot and kill another student in a wheelchair. In 2019, two former students went on a killing spree in their school, killing eight people before committing suicide. The two were reportedly obsessed with the 1999′s Columbine shooting in the United States.

Many attribute this rise in gun violence to President Jair Bolsonaro, a vocal supporter of gun rights, making it easier to buy and register firearms,

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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