The shooting comes months before Brazil’s legislature is expected to vote on a controversial bill to loosen gun laws, a key campaign promise of right-wing President-elect Jair Bolsonaro.

The shooting appeared to be premeditated.

“He did not arrive shooting,” said Hamilton Filho, the sheriff investigating the case. Grandolpho entered the church around midday as a Mass was underway. He watched the service from the back, then sat among the parishioners and started firing, police said.

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Officers standing outside heard the shots and burst into the church. One policeman was shot in the leg by Grandolpho, who took a bullet to the abdomen before killing himself, according to local news reports. He still had 28 bullets in his backpack.

“I’m very lucky to be alive,” said Pedro Rodrigues, 66, a parishioner who ran when he heard the shots.

The priest who was performing the Mass posted a video on his Facebook page asking for prayers for the victims and the shooter. “We are very shocked with what happened,” said Father Amauri Thomazzi, his voice breaking in the video. “I ask for everyone’s prayers.”

Four others were wounded.

While gun violence is rampant in Brazil, mass shootings are rare. Many Brazilians are calling for looser gun laws to protect themselves against an epidemic of violence that led to more than 60,000 homicides last year, a record.

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Bolsonaro, a former army captain, has pledged to crack down on crime and make it easier for average citizens to arm themselves. Currently, Brazil’s laws limit gun ownership to police officers and select citizens who can prove their need for a gun. Brazil’s legislature is set to vote on a new law that would allow the use of guns in self-defense and lower the legal age to purchase a gun from 25 to 21.