A man wielding a hatchet burst into a daycare center in Brazil and slaughtered four children to death.
Heart-wrenching scenes unfolded outside the private day care center, Cantinho do Bom Pastor, in Blumenau, Southern Brazil, on Wednesday, April 5, with parents weeping in anguish. The attack sent shockwaves throughout the country, placing immense pressure on the government to address the escalating wave of violence.
The assailant gained access to the facility by scaling over a wall and later surrendered himself at a nearby police station. Police confirmed no apparent connection between the attacker and the daycare center.
Four children, aged five to seven, lost their lives, while several others sustained injuries.
Investigations are currently underway to determine the motive behind the attack. In response to the killings, the Ministers of Justice and Education pledged to invest in new initiatives to prevent such acts of violence.
Valeria Aparecida Camilo, a working mother whose five-year-old daughter attended the daycare center, received the distressing news while at work. She immediately contacted her husband, Gustavo, who rushed to the school and was relieved to discover their daughter had survived.
Ulisses Gabriel, the Chief of Civil Police, confirmed that the assailant was a 25-year-old man from the neighboring state of Parana. Gabriel stated that police believe this attack to be an isolated incident unrelated to other crimes.
Brazil has unfortunately experienced a rise in school-related attacks in recent years. A week before this incident, a student in Sao Paulo stabbed a teacher to death and injured several other people. A previous attack on a daycare center in the country occurred in May 2021 in Santa Catarina state, where a man entered the facility and used a dagger to claim the lives of three children and two adults.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva expressed his heartfelt condolences through a Twitter post, acknowledging the unimaginable pain endured by families who lose their children or grandchildren.