Wednesday, November 1, 2023

Brazilian teen accused of fatally stabbing SP teacher

Date:

A school in Sao Paulo, Brazil, was the site of a violent attack on Monday morning that left one teacher dead and five others injured. The perpetrator, a 13-year-old student, has been apprehended, but no motive for the attack has been confirmed. Reports suggest that the suspect may have been inspired by a deadly school shooting that took place in Suzano, on the outskirts of Sao Paulo, in March 2019. In that incident, two former students opened fire at the Raul Brasil State School, killing five students and two school employees before they died by suicide.

The attack on Monday took place at the Thomazia Montoro public school at around 7:20am local time. The victim was identified as 71-year-old science teacher Elisabete Tenreiro, who was stabbed from behind and went into cardiac arrest before dying. Three other teachers and two students were injured in the attack and are being treated at local hospitals.

The governor of Sao Paulo state, Tarcisio Gomes de Freitas, expressed his sadness and regret over the incident on Twitter. He also announced three days of mourning in remembrance of Tenreiro. Sao Paulo’s Secretary of Public Safety Guilherme Derrite praised the “heroic acts” of a physical education teacher who was able to immobilize the teenage suspect and prevent a greater tragedy from occurring.

Reports suggest that the suspect may have been motivated by a previous altercation with another student and Tenreiro’s intervention in the matter. The suspect appeared to be angry at Tenreiro and had threatened to take action against her. The student also appeared to have been inspired by the 2019 school shooting in Suzano, as evidenced by his use of the username “Taucci” on Twitter, which was a reference to one of the shooters in that incident.

The incident in Brazil comes just weeks after a teacher in southwest France was stabbed to death by a 16-year-old student. Brazilian officials have stated that the 13-year-old suspect had researched firearm purchases online before the stabbing attack.

The attack in Brazil is yet another tragic incident in a long line of school shootings and violent attacks that have occurred around the world. The issue of school safety and the prevention of such incidents remains a pressing concern for educators, policymakers, and communities everywhere.

Latest stories