A 25-year-old man killed four children with an axe and injured five more at a Brazilian daycare center located in the southern city of Blumenau, Santa Catarina, on Wednesday.
The fatal victims, three boys and a girl, ranged between the ages of four to seven.
According to local police authorities, the 25-year-old man, whose identity has not been publicly disclosed at press time, jumped over one of the walls of the Cantinho Bom Pastor daycare center and started randomly attacking children playing in the center’s park with an axe, hitting them in the head. The assailant climbed out through the same wall and turned himself in to the police. There were 40 children present in the center at the time of the attack.
Ulisses Gabriel—the head of the Civil Police of Santa Catarina—said that the assailant was under arrest, adding that authorities have opened an investigation to clarify the motive for the attack, if there were more people involved in the crime, and whether the attack was organized online.
The attack occurred ten days after a 13-year-old student stabbed four teachers and a fellow student in a school located in São Paulo, killing a 71-year-old teacher.
Simone Camargo, one of the daycare center’s teachers, told local media that she had locked herself up with a group of babies under her care in a closed room during the attack and called the police and firefighters for help.
Later, in an interview with Brazilian news website UOL, Camargo said that she had taken the children out of harm’s way to rescue them.
“I thought it was to rescue the children, take them to a quieter place and talk to them that an uncle broke into the park,” Camargo told UOL. “We didn’t think it was to rescue the children who were no longer there,” the teacher said.
Camargo added that she does not know “where she will draw strength from” to continue.
“I’ve already asked myself today [if I think about going back to work], but I can’t tell,” she continued. “I got into management, but not in the park. In the park I can’t do it yet.”
The teacher described the events as a “horror movie.”
“It’s a horror movie, it’s a horror movie that we live in today, of not having the safety to take children to a park. Where are we going to end up?” she asked.
Funeral services for the children who died were held on Thursday morning, preceding burials later that day. Parents of the daycare center’s students, along with local residents of Blumenau, held a vigil outside the center on Wednesday evening, praying and lighting candles and incense sticks.
Bruno Bride, one of the victims’ parents, recalled to local media the last moments he shared with his son.
“Today he arrived by the daycare imitating a little bunny, and me and a little friend of his came jumping around as a bunny,” the parent said on Wednesday. “I will make every moment worth it.”
“I ask God to comfort my heart,” he continued. “I will honor my son’s life every day and may God comfort the hearts of all the families.”
The governor of the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina, Jorginho Mello, declared three days of mourning on Wednesday.
“It is a tragedy that took the lives of innocent people. Santa Catarina is shocked, dismayed,” he said on a video posted on his Twitter account. “It is a wake up call for all of us. Our society needs to talk more. We need to call the family into the school more.”
The Cantinho Bom Pastor day care center issued a statement on Wednesday lamenting the incident.
“We are unconsolable about the tragedy that occurred today in our school environment, suffering terribly and feeling the pain that affects each child, family member and friend,” the statement read. “We are still trying to understand what happened, which affects what is most sacred to us: the integrity of our children, who were always received here with love and affection.”
“We are in solidarity with all the families affected directly and indirectly, employees, teachers and friends. We will work unceasingly with the authorities to ascertain the facts, the motivation, and demand the harshest legal punishment for those involved,” the statement continued. “We thank the solidarity and assistance promptly given by the health services, Fire Department, Military and Civil Police, Municipal and State Government, and all the people who are somehow helping or working to bring some consolation, affection, care and support to the victims and their families.”
On Wednesday, Brazilian Education Minister Camilo Santana announced he would be leading an inter-ministerial group to discuss the matter of school security in Brazil. The group, which will hold its first meeting on Thursday, will have 90 days to present proposals for fighting school violence to the Brazilian government.
Similarly, the Brazilian Congress is scheduled to evaluate law proposals over the next months to curb attacks in the nation’s schools and daycare centers, such as installing metal detectors and increased security in schools, greater penalties for homicides in educational institutions, and measures to “combat hate” on social networks.
Christian K. Caruzo is a Venezuelan writer and documents life under socialism. You can follow him on Twitter here.