Blumenau school attack

Last updated

Blumenau school attack
Blumenau school attack
Location Blumenau, Santa Catarina, Brazil
Coordinates 26°54′56″S49°06′35″W / 26.91568°S 49.10983°W / -26.91568; -49.10983
Date5 April 2023;12 months ago (2023-04-05)
9:00 (BRT (UTC-3))
TargetCantinho Bom Pastor nursery
Attack type
 Mass stabbing
Mass murder
Infanticide
Weapons Hatchet
Deaths4
Injured5 [1] [2]
MotiveUnknown, under investigation.
AccusedLuiz Henrique de Lima [3]

On April 5, 2023, a hatchet attack occurred at a daycare center in Blumenau, Santa Catarina, Brazil. [4] Four children were killed; five others were injured. [4] [5] [6] Luiz Henrique Lima, a 25-year-old male and the suspected attacker, who is believed to have jumped over a wall to gain access to the school, surrendered at a nearby police station. [5] [6]

Contents

Background

School attacks increased in Brazil in the years prior to the attack. [7] Out of 16 school attacks in Brazil between 2000 and 2022, four occurred in the second half of 2022. [7] A previous attack on a daycare occurred in 2021, when an 18-year-old man killed three children and two adults at a daycare in Saudades, Santa Catarina. [7] A week prior to the Blumenau attack, a student in the Thomazia Montoro State School, São Paulo, killed a teacher and wounded five others in a stabbing attack. [8] [7] On March 30, at the "Escola Estadual de Ensino Fundamental e Médio Prof.º Palmira Gabriel" in Icoaraci, district of Belém, an student attacked his colleagues with an knife, leaving one student injured. [9]

Attack

At around 9:00 BRT (12:00 GMT), Luiz Henrique Lima jumped over a wall of the Cantinho Bom Pastor daycare center and began attacking children in the playground. [4] [5] [6] Around 40 children were reported to have been inside the center at the time of the attack. [4] A teacher said that Luiz Henrique carried a hatchet and other unspecified weapons. [4] He apparently targeted his victims at random, primarily aiming for their heads. [4] According to police, he fled after teachers defended the children and turned himself in to police at a local station. [5]

Other attacks

During the weeks after the attack, there were several other attack attempts in schools; on April 10, at the Cachoeirinha Adventist School, in Manaus, a student, armed with an knife, stabbed a teacher and two students, leaving them with minor injuries. [10] [11] The following day (April 11), at the Dr. Marco Aurélio State College in Santa Tereza de Goiás, a thirteen-year-old student attacked several people with a knife, leaving three students with minor injuries. [12] On April 12, two students were injured in the Isaac de Alcântara Costa School, Farias Brito, Ceará, after a 9th grade student attacked several people with a knife. [13] In addition, threats of massacres began to circulate on social networks in a large part of the country, which caused suspension of classes, rescheduling of tests and administrative meetings in schools. [14] [15]

According to Michele Prado, a researcher at the University of São Paulo (USP)'s Digital Media Political Debate Monitor, the publication of the aggressor's image or action in the press or social media can encourage a "window of contagion effect" for new attacks; according to Prado, the literature indicates that this "window" lasts about 13 or 14 days after the repercussions of an attack happen, which would explain the short time span between all the attacks. [16]

Victims

Four children between the ages of five and seven were killed in the attack. Five others, aged between three and five, were injured and taken to hospitals. One was in severe condition. [6] The children killed were veiled and buried in Blumenau, [17] while the survivors were released from the hospital the next day. [2]

Suspect

The suspect was identified as an 25 year-old man with the initials "L.H.L", many news media outlets refused to disclose further information about him (such as his name), fearing giving more attention to the case, which experts said may stimulate more attacks. [18] Early investigations revealed that he was previously detained for drug possession, as well as injury and harm, including stabbing his stepfather and his dog. [19] Police said that the suspect did not appear to have any connection to the daycare center. [7] Authorities revealed the suspect reportedly had a psychotic episode. [20]

News coverage

Due to the "window of contagion effect" and studies indicating that many of the criminals seek fame by perpetrating the attacks, on the same day Grupo Globo announced a change in the policy of covering massacres, announcing that the names and images of the criminals, as well as images of the actions, would never again be disclosed, before, as explained by journalists such as William Bonner, who gave the information in Jornal Nacional, the policy was to disclose this data only once, "This policy changes this Wednesday (5th) and will be even more restrictive: the name and image of perpetrators of attacks will never be published, as well as videos of the actions; The decision follows the most recent recommendations of prestigious experts on the subject, for whom giving visibility to aggressors can serve as a stimulus to new attacks", Bonner explained. [21]

O Estado de S. Paulo did not release photos or videos of the attack, on the portal, shortly after the crime, next to the published news, there was the following note: [22]

O Estadão decided not to publish photos, videos, names or other information about the author of the attack, even though he is of legal age; This decision follows recommendations from experts in communication and violence, research shows that this exposure can lead to an "effect of contagion", appreciation and stimulation of the act of violence in hateful individuals and communities, which results in new cases, the visibility of the aggressors is considered a “trophy” within these networks, for the same reason, videos of the attack on a state school in Vila Sônia, west of São Paulo, on March 27 were also not released

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rio de Janeiro school shooting</span> Mass murder in 2011 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

On the morning of 7 April 2011, 12 students aged between 13 and 15 years old were killed and 22 others seriously wounded by Wellington Menezes de Oliveira, who entered the Tasso da Silveira Municipal School, an elementary school in Realengo on the western fringe of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It was the first non-gang school shooting with a sizable number of casualties reported in Brazil.

On the morning of Thursday, 5 October 2017, Damião Soares dos Santos, a night watchman at daycare Centro Municipal de Educação Infantil Gente Inocente in Janaúba, Minas Gerais, Brazil, invaded a classroom where dozens of children between the ages of 3 and 7 were taking part in normal school activities. Santos locked the door and doused fuel on several children, employees and himself. The resulting fire killed fourteen, including himself, ten children and three adults and wounded thirty-seven.

In the morning of October 20, 2017, an unnamed 14-year-old student of the private school Goyases, in Goiânia, Brazil opened fire against his classmates with a .40-caliber Taurus PT100 pistol, leaving two dead, and four injured. He tried to commit suicide but was convinced not to by a school teacher, being arrested minutes after the incident.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 in Brazil</span> Brazil-related events during the year of 2018

Events in the year 2018 in Brazil.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 in Brazil</span> Brazil-related events during the year of 2019

Events in the year 2019 in Brazil.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suzano massacre</span> School shooting in Suzano, São Paulo, Brazil

The Suzano Massacre, also known as the Suzano school massacre, was a school shooting that took place on March 13, 2019, at the Professor Raul Brasil State School in the Brazilian municipality of Suzano, São Paulo State. The perpetrators, 17-year-old Guilherme Taucci Monteiro and 25-year-old Luiz Henrique de Castro, both former students at the school, killed five students and two school employees. Before the attack, in a car shop near the school, the pair also killed Monteiro's uncle. After the shooting, Monteiro killed his partner and then committed suicide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil</span> Ongoing COVID-19 viral pandemic in Brazil

The COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil has resulted in 37,519,960 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 702,116 deaths. The virus was confirmed to have spread to Brazil on 25 February 2020, when a man from São Paulo who had traveled to Italy tested positive for the virus. The disease had spread to every federative unit of Brazil by 21 March. On 19 June 2020, the country reported its one millionth case and nearly 49,000 reported deaths. One estimate of under-reporting was 22.62% of total reported COVID-19 mortality in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Killing of João Alberto Silveira Freitas</span> 2020 killing in Brazil

The killing of João Alberto Freitas refers to the beating and murder by asphyxiation of João Alberto Silveira Freitas, at the hands of security guards at a Carrefour store, located in the Passo d'Areia neighborhood, in the northern part of the city of Porto Alegre, in Rio Grande do Sul, on the night of November 19, 2020. The murder started a series of anti-racism protests in several Brazilian cities.

On 4 May 2021, a school massacre occurred at the municipal school of early childhood education (creche) Aquarela, located in the city of Saudades, near the city of Chapecó, in the Santa Catarina state of Brazil. The school serves children from 6 months to 2 years old.

Lázaro Barbosa de Sousa was a Brazilian fugitive criminal wanted for murder, rape, home invasion and kidnapping. On 9 June 2021, he murdered four members of a family in Ceilândia and fled, triggering a 20-day manhunt which culminated with his death in a shootout with police.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 in Brazil</span> Brazil-related events during the year of 2022

Events in the year 2022 in Brazil.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 in Brazil</span> Brazil-related events during the year of 2023

Events in the year 2023 in Brazil.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aracruz school shootings</span> Spree shooting at two schools in Aracruz, Brazil

The Aracruz school shootings were a shooting spree that occurred on November 25, 2022, at two schools in Aracruz, Espírito Santo, Brazil. Four people were killed, and 12 others were injured. The suspect, a 16-year-old former student at one of the schools, was arrested approximately four hours later.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 Brazilian Congress attack</span> Storming of government buildings in Brasília

On 8 January 2023, following the defeat of then-president Jair Bolsonaro in the 2022 Brazilian general election and the inauguration of his successor Luis Inácio Lula da Silva, a mob of Bolsonaro's supporters attacked Brazil's federal government buildings in the capital, Brasília. The mob invaded and caused deliberate damage to the Supreme Federal Court, the National Congress building and the Planalto Presidential Palace in the Praça dos Três Poderes, seeking to violently overthrow the democratically elected president Lula, who had been inaugurated on 1 January. Many rioters said their purpose was to spur military leaders to launch a "military intervention" and disrupt the democratic transition of power.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Artworks damaged, destroyed or stolen during the 2023 Brazilian Congress attack</span>

During the 2023 Brazilian Congress attack, numerous works of art were targeted by supporters of Brazilian former president Jair Bolsonaro.

On February 21, 2023, a mass shooting occurred at a bar in Sinop, Mato Grosso, Brazil. After losing R$20,000 (US$3,710.58) in a pool game, suspects Ezequias Souza Ribeiro and Edgar Ricardo de Oliveira returned with firearms and shot and killed seven people, including one child. The two shooters then fled the scene. Ribeiro was killed in a shootout with police the following day, while Oliveira surrendered to police on February 23.

On August 27, 2022, Bruno Vanzan Nunes was killed when the Federal Highway Police agent responded to a robbery, and was shot on Transolímpica Avenue. Police forces in Rio de Janeiro mobilized to look for the criminals, but PRF agents killed Lorenzo Dias Palhinhas, 14 years old, in Complexo do Chapadão.

References

  1. ↑ "Quatro crianças são mortas em ataque a creche em Blumenau; homem foi preso". G1 (in Brazilian Portuguese). April 5, 2023. Archived from the original on April 12, 2023. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  2. 1 2 "Crianças sobreviventes do ataque a creche em Blumenau recebem alta". CNN Brasil (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on April 13, 2023. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  3. ↑ "Quem é o homem que diz ter atacado creche em Santa Catarina?". R7. April 4, 2023. Archived from the original on April 9, 2023. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Brazil kindergarten attack: Man kills four children in Blumenau". BBC News. April 5, 2023. Archived from the original on April 5, 2023. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Trucco, Florencia (April 5, 2023). "Four children killed in axe attack at daycare center in southern Brazil". CNN. Archived from the original on April 5, 2023. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Axe attack at Brazilian pre-school leaves four children dead and five injured". The Guardian. April 5, 2023. ISSN   0261-3077. Archived from the original on April 5, 2023. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 "Brazil man kills 4 children with hatchet at day care center". Associated Press. April 5, 2023. Archived from the original on April 5, 2023. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  8. ↑ "Teenager fatally stabs teacher, wounds five people in Brazil". Associated Press News. March 27, 2023. Archived from the original on April 6, 2023. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  9. ↑ "Adolescente é esfaqueado na escola Palmira Gabriel, em Belém". G1 (in Brazilian Portuguese). March 30, 2023. Archived from the original on April 11, 2023. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  10. ↑ "Adolescente armado é apreendido após tentativa de ataque em escola no AM". noticias.uol.com.br (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on April 11, 2023. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  11. ↑ "Adolescente agride com faca duas colegas e professora de escola em Manaus". Folha de S.Paulo (in Brazilian Portuguese). April 10, 2023. Archived from the original on April 11, 2023. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  12. ↑ "Ataque a colégio de Santa Tereza de Goiás deixa 3 alunos feridos, diz polícia". G1 (in Brazilian Portuguese). April 11, 2023. Archived from the original on April 11, 2023. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  13. ↑ "Duas crianças ficam feridas em ataque a escola municipal no interior do Ceará". cbn.globoradio.globo.com (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on April 12, 2023. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  14. ↑ Penaforte, José Vítor Camilo e Raquel (April 10, 2023). "Ameaça de massacre leva à debandada de alunos e até remarcação de prova em BH | O TEMPO". www.otempo.com.br (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on April 11, 2023. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  15. ↑ "IFPA Belém suspende aulas após ameaça de ataque; Polícia Federal investiga". G1 (in Brazilian Portuguese). March 31, 2023. Archived from the original on April 11, 2023. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  16. ↑ "Creche em Blumenau: publicar imagem de agressor potencializa 'efeito contágio' para novos ataques, alerta especialista". BBC News Brasil (in Brazilian Portuguese). April 5, 2023. Archived from the original on April 12, 2023. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  17. ↑ "Crianças que morreram após ataque a creche são veladas em Blumenau". G1 (in Brazilian Portuguese). April 6, 2023. Archived from the original on April 11, 2023. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  18. ↑ "Quais os antecedentes criminais de autor de ataque em Blumenau". noticias.uol.com.br (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on April 12, 2023. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  19. ↑ "Autor de ataque a creche de Blumenau já esfaqueou padrasto e cachorro, diz polícia | ND Mais". ndmais.com.br (in Brazilian Portuguese). April 5, 2023. Archived from the original on April 8, 2023. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  20. ↑ Tempo, O. (April 5, 2023). "Autor de ataque em creche de Blumenau sofreu surto psicótico, diz polícia | O TEMPO". www.otempo.com.br (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on April 9, 2023. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  21. ↑ "Grupo Globo muda política sobre cobertura de massacres". G1 (in Brazilian Portuguese). April 5, 2023. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  22. ↑ "Ataque a creche em Blumenau: 'Só sobrou a mochila do meu filho', diz pai de vítima". Estadão (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved July 25, 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.