A horrifying incident occurred at a daycare center when a man armed with a hatchet attacked and killed four young children.
The gruesome event took place in April at Cantinho do Bom Pastor in Blumenau, Southern Brazil. The tragedy has left parents devastated and the entire nation in shock, calling for the government to address the rising violence.
The attacker gained access to the daycare by climbing over a wall and later turned himself in at a nearby police station. There seems to be no apparent connection between the assailant and the daycare center.
The victims, aged between five and seven, were fatally wounded in the assault, while several other children sustained injuries. Authorities are currently investigating the motive behind this appalling act. In response, the Ministers of Justice and Education have committed to implementing new measures to prevent similar violent incidents in the future.
Upon learning of the tragic news at work, Valeria Aparecida Camilo, a mother with a five-year-old daughter attending the day care, immediately contacted her husband, Gustavo, who hurried to the school and found their daughter safe.
Ulisses Gabriel, the Chief of Civil Police, revealed that the attacker was a 25-year-old man from the neighboring state of Parana. Gabriel also noted that the police consider this attack an isolated event, unrelated to other criminal activities.
Brazil has seen a troubling increase in school-related attacks in recent years. Just a week prior to this tragedy, a student in Sao Paulo fatally stabbed a teacher and injured several others. In May 2021, a daycare center in Santa Catarina state witnessed a similar disaster when a man entered the building and used a dagger to kill three children and two adults.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva expressed his deepest condolences via a Twitter post, acknowledging the unimaginable pain experienced by families who have lost their children or grandchildren in such tragic circumstances.
