A 19-year-old student shot a classmate inside a public school in Natal on Tuesday (17/12) and allegedly attempted to shoot a teacher. The incident occurred at the Berilo Wanderley State School in the Neópolis neighborhood, located in the southern part of Natal, the capital of Rio Grande do Norte. The student was arrested.
This Content Is Only For Subscribers
To unlock this content, subscribe to INTERLIRA Reports.
Injured Student
According to the injured student’s father, the victim is 18 years old and in his final year of high school. He was shot in the head, received first aid, and was taken to the hospital. The victim reported that a girl went into a frenzy with a gun in her hand and started shooting, with one of the bullets hitting him in the head. Another student in a classroom recounted hearing a gunshot before seeing the shooter enter the room and attempt to shoot the teacher, though the gun misfired.
Arrested Student
The Rio Grande do Norte Public Security Department confirmed the incident and that the suspect was arrested. The 5th Military Police Battalion reported seizing a firearm, three knives, and a note from the arrested student.
Another Recent Case
A similar crime occurred recently in Piauí. A 17-year-old student shot a 16-year-old student in the face inside a private school in Teresina on 4 December. The suspect was apprehended by the Civil Police of Piauí. A pistol and a knife were found in her bag. According to the Military Police, the firearm belonged to her father, a military police officer.
Three Dead
On 18 October, a 14-year-old student killed three classmates at a school in Heliópolis (Bahia). The teenager, who was in the classroom, shot two girls and a boy, all aged 15, with a revolver before committing suicide. The weapon used in the crime was seized, though authorities and the family are unsure of how the teenager acquired it.
Nine Cases in 15 Days
According to the report “Right-Wing Extremism Among Adolescents and Young People in Brazil: Attacks on Schools and Alternatives for Government Action”, school violence in Brazil began in the early 2000s, with no recorded cases of such attacks before that period. Between 2000 and 2023, at least 35 people were killed in these circumstances. The study highlights that schools are deliberately chosen as targets because they are central spaces for socialization and learning. The peak of these incidents occurred between the second half of 2022 and 2023, with nine cases reported, including four within just 15 days.
Analysis:
The increasing incidence of violence in Brazilian schools reflects a multifaceted crisis that directly impacts students, teachers, and families. Attacks such as the one in Natal create an atmosphere of fear and insecurity, undermining the school environment, which should be a safe space for learning. These episodes highlight the urgent need for more effective measures to prevent and address school violence.
According to experts from the Group of Studies and Research in Moral Education (Gepem) at Unicamp, one factor contributing to the rise in violence in 2022 and 2023 is the growth of obscure online communities. Previously confined to the deep web, these groups have migrated to more accessible platforms like Discord and X (formerly Twitter). Known as True Crime Communities (TCC), these groups promote school violence and massacres by bringing together young people to discuss and encourage such crimes. Additionally, the expansion of Collectors, Sports Shooters, and Hunters (CACs) and the consequent facilitation of access to firearms exacerbate this situation.
The presence of firearms in the hands of young people is a critical issue, raising concerns about both the ease of access and their deliberate use in vulnerable settings. This problem exposes significant flaws in the country’s arms control and oversight, particularly when legally acquired weapons, as seen in the Piauí incident, are misused for violent acts.
