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At least 8 people killed in a school shooting in Brazil

Posted at 4:16 PM, Mar 13, 2019
and last updated 2019-03-13 16:16:18-04

At least eight people were killed Wednesday in a shooting at a school near Sao Paulo, Brazil, according to the country’s military police.

Two armed men wearing hoods entered the State School Raul Brasil in the town of Suzano — about 70 kilometers east of Sao Paulo — and fired at students and staff, the Sao Paulo government said on its official Twitter account earlier Wednesday.

More than 10 people were injured, according to local media.

Six students and two school officials were killed in the shooting, the Sao Paulo government said. Six of the victims died at the scene, two others at a hospital, according to police.

Students at the school range in age from 11 to 18, officials said.

Suzano police confirmed to CNN that the two attackers killed themselves.

The shooters arrived at the school during the lunch break, police said.

They first shot an education coordinator and a supervisor before opening fire on students in the schoolyard, according to police. The gunmen also went to the school’s linguistic center, where students hid in a classroom.

The shooters committed suicide in a corridor, police said.

Before entering the school, the gunmen shot a man who was working at a car wash in front of the school. The man was hospitalized and undergoing surgery, police said.

Sao Paulo Gov. Joao Doria declared three days of mourning.

“I went to the place and was shocked by what I saw, our solidarity to all,” Doria told reporters.

Doria said police arrived about eight minutes after they were called. Families will receive assistance for funerals, as well as medical and psychological help, he said.

Police were checking the area for possible explosive devices.