10 people have been killed in a school shooting in the Brazilian city of Suzano, on the outskirts of Sao Paulo, officials have said. The shooting was first reported on the morning of March 13. Two teenage gunmen killed themselves in the aftermath of the incident.

The state governor of Sao Paulo, Joao Doria, said in a statement that the victims had been “cruelly murdered.” The attack occurred at the Raul Brasil School in the city, which is located around 30 miles east of downtown Sao Paulo. The school is an elementary and middle school. The shooting began just as classes were about to begin.

Here’s what you need to know:

1. One Student Said He Thought the Gunfire Was ‘Firecrackers’

VideoVideo related to suzano school shooting: 5 fast facts you need to know 2019-03-13T10:22:11-04:00

According to Globo in Brazil, “two hooded adolescents” are considered the perpetrators of the shooting. In addition to the dead, nine other people were injured in the shooting. One student told Globo that he thought the gunfire was “firecrackers.” Globo also says that minutes before the school shooting was reported, a shooting was reported around 1,000 feet from the school. Officials have not said if the two shootings are related.

2. A Witness Said He Saw Bloodied People Running From the School in Despearation

Shooting at School in Brazil Suzano São Paulo 2019-03-13T13:50:55.000Z

A man who lives next door to the school, Juliano Simoes de Santana, told Folha, a local newspaper, via Google Translate, “I live next door, I heard a commotion and I went there, I came in and I saw several children running out bloodied, a desperation, a teacher, an employee, everyone running.”

3. The Shooting Has Drawn Comparisons to the 1999 Columbine High School Massacre

Columbine's Chilling LegacyABC News' Pierre Thomas examines the trend of Columbine copycats and how a fascination with the killers has created a dangerous subculture. 2014-10-05T19:52:35.000Z

Photos that circulated on social media that purported to show the two gunmen’s dead bodies. One of the shooters was wearing a hood with a skull on it, in addition to black pants and gloves. This has led many to compare the Suzano attack to the 1999 Columbine High School massacre. Authorities have not released a motive for the shooting.

In October 2019, 18-year-old Vladislav Roslyakov killed 19 people and wounded 40 others at a vocational college in the Crimean city of Kerch. That attack was also thought to have been a Columbine copycat attack.

4. The Shooting Comes Shortly After Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro Relaxed the Laws on Gun Ownership

In January 2019, controversial Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro signed a government ordered that relaxed laws on the buying of guns. Bolsonaro was fulfilling a campaign promise in relaxing the laws. In 2003, a law was passed in the country that banned the purchase of guns by civilians. The Reuters report on the law change saw the president’s chief of staff, Onyx Lorenzoni, quoted as saying that the law would say taxes on guns reduced as well as an invitation for foreign firms to sell guns in Brazil.

Brazil had the highest murder rate of any country in the world in 2017 where 64,000 people were killed, 45,000 of those were gun deaths. Despite this high number, school shootings are rare.

5. The Last Major School Shooting in Brazil Occurred in 2011

Massacre na Escola – Wellington Menezes Oliveira,Wellington Menezes Oliveira, 24 anos ex-aluno em uma escola primária (Escola Municipal Tasso da Silveira escola na zona oeste Realengo), no Rio de Janeiro (Brasil), supostamente invadiu o salão da escola pouco antes da 09:00 hora local e abriram fogo. Os relatórios indicaram que pelo menos 13 pessoas morreram e mais de 20 feridos. utilizou… 2011-04-07T21:39:05.000Z

There has not been a major school shooting in Brazil since 2011 when 12 children were killed in an attack in Rio. The shooter, Wellington Menezes de Oliveira, was a former student at the school. The shooting was considered the first of its kind in Brazilian history. Authorities said that de Oliveira got into the Escola Municipal Tasso da Silveira school by saying he was there to give a lecture. Once inside, de Oliveira began to open fire. The suspect later committed suicide as police closed in. In total, 12 students were killed in the school.

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