Brazil: Five killed, many injured in mass shooting

At least four people were killed and many were injured after a gunman started shooting at a church in Brazil before turning the gun on himself.

Sakshi Chaturvedi
Published on: 12 Dec 2018 4:03 AM GMT
Brazil: Five killed, many injured in mass shooting
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Sao Paulo: At least four people were killed and many were injured after a gunman started shooting at a church in Brazil before turning the gun on himself.

The injured were immediately taken to the nearby hospitals.

The shooting took place at the Campinas Cathedral in Sao Paulo state as a midday mass was in progress.

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The gunman was armed with two weapons and fired at least 20 times before police confronted him and he committed suicide in front of the altar.

Authorities said they didn't know the motive behind the mass shooting, but it appeared the perpetrator had no specific target.

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"We think he was shooting at random, without looking for a clear target," the secretary of security in Campinas, Luis Baggio, said.

Surveillance cameras showed the man entered the church like any other worshipper and sat in the back for a few minutes before getting up and firing his gun, a 9 mm handgun used by security forces.

Eyewitness Pedro Rodrigues, 66, said he ran out of the building when he heard shots and realized what was happening.

"The attacker entered and began shooting at a couple, and then continued firing in all directions. But I managed to get out. I'm very lucky to be alive," said Rodrigues.

The shooting, which was rarely seen in the South American country, has shaken residents of Campinas, a city 100 km west of the state capital Sao Paulo.

Sakshi Chaturvedi

Sakshi Chaturvedi

A journalist, presently working as a Sub-Editor at newstrack.com.

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