Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) (AFP) – A teenager opened fire this Tuesday at a school in northwest Brazil, killing two employees and wounding a third and a student, authorities reported.

First modification: 05/06/2026 - 02:23 Last modification: 05/06/2026 - 12:30

The attack occurred in the afternoon at a school in Rio Branco, capital of the state of Acre, and a 13-year-old minor was detained by the police, according to a statement from the state government.

The injuries were taken to a hospital. One of them is an 11-year-old girl who was shot in the leg.

The teenager entered the school and fired several shots in a corridor that gives access to the school, Lieutenant Colonel Felipe Russo, of the Acre Military Police, explained to journalists.

He added that he was able to enter the building without difficulty because he is a student at the institution, and that he surrendered after the attack.

His stepfather, owner of the .380 caliber pistol used in the shooting, was also arrested.

Police identified other students who allegedly had prior knowledge of what was going to happen and who could have cooperated with the attacker, Russo said.

Eduardo Rodrigues Cavalcante, receptionist at the Inácio Palace hotel, adjacent to the school, told AFP that when the attack began some students tried to jump over a wall that separates both buildings.

"Only the wall is six meters long, and only one of them managed to jump. He jumped and took refuge here in the hotel, he was all scratched up. The rest of the people were left on the roof of the school trying to escape," the 19-year-old worker said by phone.

He said he heard "shots and a lot of screams."

Images broadcast by local media showed a woman being evacuated on a stretcher, as well as scenes of grief outside the school, where the police were deployed.

The police opened an investigation to clarify the reasons for the attack and determine responsibilities.

Suspended classes

"In the face of the tragedy, the State expresses its deep solidarity to the families of the victims, to the school community of the São José Institute and to all education professionals impacted by this episode," the government said in the statement.

Psychological support teams were mobilized to offer support to students and teachers, he added.

As part of the security protocol, classes were suspended for three days in all educational centers in the state.

In recent years, Brazil has recorded several attacks on educational institutions that have left dozens of victims dead.

In September of last year, two teenagers were shot to death and three minors were injured in a school in the state of Ceará, in the northeast of the country.

Earlier that month, a teenager had been killed and three others injured in a knife attack outside a school in the southeastern state of Minas Gerais.

In April 2023, in the deadliest attack that year, a 25-year-old man entered a daycare center in the southern state of Santa Catarina and killed four children between the ages of 3 and 7 with an axe.

© 2026 AFP

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