A 25-year-old man, armed with a small axe, attacked a daycare centre killing four children and injuring others. The incident took place on Wednesday in the southern Brazilian city of Blumenau. Local police say the murdered children – a girl and three boys – were between the ages of 5 and 7.
Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva called the incident a “monstrosity”.
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The number of children injured in Wednesday’s attack remains unknown. According to Blumenau’s mayor, Mario Hildebrandt, five wounded children were taken to hospital says The Associated Press.
But AFP and Reuters report that four injured children were hospitalised, citing Hospital Santo Antonio and local police, respectively. The hospital also said one child is in a serious condition.
‘There is no greater pain’
The 25-year-old is in custody after he turned himself in at a police station following the attack. A police officer told CNN that the suspect scaled a wall of the crèche, into the playground, before launching his attack.
He fled after teachers arrived at the scene. Later turning himself in to police. The suspect was arrested in Blumenau, in the state of Santa Catarina.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva shared his condolences in a tweet:
There is no greater pain than that of a family that loses its children or grandchildren, even more so in an act of violence against innocent and defenseless children
‘This human figure that had nothing human,’ Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said of the man armed with a small axe who climbed over a wall into a crèche in Southern Brazil and killed four children — Reuters (@Reuters)
‘This human figure that had nothing human,’ Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said of the man armed with a small axe who climbed over a wall into a crèche in Southern Brazil and killed four children https://t.co/lD03HqoFIW pic.twitter.com/kGbrBvd9kO
— Reuters (@Reuters) April 6, 2023
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Jorginho Mello, Santa Catarina’s governor, also tweeted about the killings:
💔 Esse dia ficará marcado da pior forma para SC e nos catarinenses. Uma dor assim não dá para esquecer.
Precisamos chorar nossas perdas, passar por esse luto, mas também focar todos os nossos esforços para que uma tragédia como essa nunca mais se repita. #ForçaBlumenau pic.twitter.com/IZx6Yce0dR
— Jorginho Mello (@jorginhomello) April 5, 2023
Mayor Hildebrandt says the city suspended classes amid rumours of other potential attacks. It also declared a 30-day mourning period.
The attack takes place over a week after a 13-year-old carried out a stabbing in a Sao Paulo school. The suspect killed a teacher and wounded five others.
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Wednesday’s attack is the second of its kind in Santa Catarina. In 2021, a knife-wielding suspect killed three children and two adults at a daycare centre.
