BRASILIA, Brazil — A former student armed with a semiautomatic pistol and wearing a bulletproof vest fatally shot three people and wounded 13 on Friday after barging into two schools in southeastern Brazil, authorities said.
The shootings took place at a public school with elementary and middle school students and a private school, both on the same street in the small town of Aracruz in Espirito Santo state, the state’s public security secretariat said in a statement.
Approximately four hours later, the shooter, identified as a 16-year-old boy who used to study at the public school, was arrested by police, Espirito Santo Gov.
In addition to the fatalities, 13 people were wounded, including nine instructors, said Celante, who noted that in the public school the shooter gained access to the teachers lounge after breaking a lock.
School shootings are uncommon in Brazil, but have happened with somewhat greater frequency in recent years.