Two hooded teenagers opened fire in a Sao Paulo public school on Wednesday, killing eight people before committing suicide in an attack that renews debate over President Jair Bolsonaro’s recent decree loosening gun regulations.
At least six of the victims were students and two were school employees, local authorities said. The attack took place early in the morning in the municipality of Suzano, less than 30 miles from the state capital. Another 15 people were reported injured in the school of 1,000 students, G1 news site reported.
The governor of Sao Paulo, Joao Doria, rushed to the scene of the crime, expressing his condolences and shock.
“It’s the saddest scene I’ve ever seen in my life,” Doria told reporters after visiting the school.
Bolsonaro rode to victory last year with a tough law-and-order talk that appealed to Brazilians worried with rising crime rates. A decree making it easier for law-abiding citizens to own a gun was a key campaign promise. It scrapped requirement that Brazilians need to prove the need to own a firearm, however several other restrictions remain in place.
Police at the school shooting on Wednesday said they found other weapons, including a crossbow, as well materials that appeared to be explosives.
