Sapopemba State School shooting
| Sapopemba State School shooting | |
|---|---|
Shooter caught on surveillance moments before shooting the victim in the back of the head | |
| Location | Sapopemba State School, Sapopemba, São Paulo, Brazil |
| Date | 23 October 2023 c. 7:30 a.m. |
Attack type | School shooting |
| Weapon | .38-caliber Rossi revolver |
| Deaths | 1 |
| Injured | 3 (two by gunfire) |
| Perpetrator | Lucas de Oliveira Tuci |
| Motive | Retaliation for bullying and homophobia |
The Sapopemba State School shooting was a school shooting that occurred at the Sapopemba State School (Escola Estadual de Sapopemba) in the aforementioned neighbourhood of São Paulo, Brazil, on 23 October 2023. At about 7:30 in the morning, the gunman, a 16-year-old male student wearing his school uniform,[1] shot three female students, one fatally.[2] A fourth student sustained injures to his hand while attempting to escape from the school.[3] The suspect then handed his revolver to a teacher before surrendering to the police.[4]
Shooting
On the morning of 23 October, a 16-year-old teenager entered the Sapopemba State School, in the Sapopemba neighborhood, São Paulo, in the east zone of the city, armed with a .38 caliber revolver, and shot three girls. One of them, Giovanna Bezerra Silva, 17 years old, was shot in the back of the head and died in hospital. Another three people were injured, one while fleeing the scene. The teenager handed himself in to the Military Police after the attack.
Perpetrator
The perpetrator, a 16-year-old student, had taken the gun from his father, Marcos Tuci, who had bought it legally in 1994 for self-defense, as his workplace had often been the subject of robberies. When strict gun control was implemented in Brazil, he never re-registered or turned in his firearm.[5] He was charged with illegal possession of a firearm.[6]
The attack was later to be revealed to be retaliation for homophobic bullying he had suffered at the school, as the perpetrator was gay and would broadcast himself crossdressing online. Two weeks before the attack, he threatened to shoot up the school, but none of the school student's reported this comment.[7]
Aftermath
Upon seizing the teenager's phone, it was found he broadcast hate symbols (including references to Nazism) online, and openly wrote about the planning of his attack on Discord and Telegram. He was also found to be in possession of child pornography.[8]
The perpetrator was sentenced to up to three years' preventative detention, the harshest criminal penalty available for minors in Brazil.[8]
See also
References
- ^ "Ataque em escola estadual de Sapopemba deixa uma aluna morta e 3 feridos, em São Paulo". O Globo (in Brazilian Portuguese). 23 October 2023. Retrieved 13 November 2024.
- ^ "School shooting in Brazil's Sao Paulo leaves one student dead". Associated Press. 23 October 2023. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
- ^ Laforé, Bruno; Bernardes, Vinícius; Rigue, André; Vitoria, Dayres (23 October 2023). "Ataque com arma em escola na zona leste de São Paulo mata uma aluna e deixa três feridos". CNN Brasil. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
- ^ "Ataque em escola estadual de Sapopemba deixa uma aluna morta e 3 feridos, em São Paulo". O Globo (in Brazilian Portuguese). 23 October 2023. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
- ^ Metrópoles (25 October 2023). ""Quem tem arma em casa, entregue", diz pai de aluno que matou colega". Única News - Notícias e Fatos com Credibilidade (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 12 April 2025.
- ^ "Polícia indicia pai de autor de ataque a escola estadual de Sapopemba por posse irregular de arma". O Globo (in Brazilian Portuguese). 26 October 2023. Retrieved 13 April 2025.
- ^ "Atentado em escola: atirador é alvo de bullying por ser gay e usou arma do pai". Revista Fórum (in Brazilian Portuguese). 23 October 2023. Retrieved 12 April 2025.
- ^ a b "Adolescente suspeito de participação em ataque armado à escola é apreendido no Pará". Ver-o-Fato (in Brazilian Portuguese). 19 April 2024. Retrieved 13 April 2025.