Terrible story from Brazil

A man has killed 10 children and seriously injured 18 others in a gun attack at a school in Rio De Janeiro in Brazil. Skip related content

Police have named the gunman as 24-year-old Wellington Menezes de Oliveira, a former pupil at the Tasso da Silveira primary school.

Detectives said he entered a classroom armed with two loaded revolvers and opened fire soon after the morning bell rang.

He was later shot in the leg by police before taking his own life.

Police confirmed 18 children were badly hurt and were taken to the Albert Schweitzer hospital.

Most were suffering from gunshot wounds to the chest and head.

Local police commander Djalma Beltrame told Globo TV de Oliveira had left a letter at the scene indicating he wanted to kill himself.

But he said the note did not give a clear motive for the serial killing, the first of its kind in Brazil.

"It was a premeditated act," Beltrame said. "He was clearly a hallucinating person."

He said the attack could have been far worse had a police patrol not driven past the school at the time and heard gunfire.

"If the police did not arrive as quickly as they did the tragedy could have been far worse, because this man had a lot of ammunition and was carrying two guns," he said.

Television pictures showed three helicopters landing on a football field next to the school and taking the young victims to hospital.

Frantic parents could also be seen crying and screaming outside the school as they awaited news that their children were alive and safe.

The school teaches about 300 children aged nine to 14 years.

Dorival Porto Rafael, a rubbish collector who was at the school at the time, told Globo online the gunman walked into a class where eighth-grade students were studying Portuguese.

"He came in saying he was going to give a talk... and without saying anything took out a pistol from his bag and started firing," Mr Rafael said.

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff said she was "shocked and disturbed" at the attack. "Innocent children lost their lives and their future," she said.

Education minister Fernando Haddad described the shooting as "an unprecedented tragedy in Brazil."

This sort of terrible thing happens from time to time, there is just no way of preparing for it or preventing it. I suppose it could be said that these people that do these terrible things could be weeded out before they resort to doing these acts. But can we find them or sort them out, because often before they do these things they seem like just ordinary people.

Phil

True Phil, there is no way of defending a School from this.

Could someone just remind me where the next Football World Cup and Olympic Games are being held?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-14513066

Volty

No idea about the football world cup, but the further away from here the better, and I have heard nasty rumours that the Olympics are being held here in 2012.

Phil

Oh yes, I forgot there will be another olympic games before the Rio massacre.