Aracruz school shootings

Aracruz school shootings
The shooter approaching the entrance of the second location (top) The shooter opening fire (bottom)
Location	Aracruz, Espírito Santo, Brazil
Date	25 November 2022 (2022-11-25) c. 9:30 – c. 9:50 a.m. (BRT (UTC-3))
Attack type	Mass shooting, school shooting, spree shooting, mass murder
Weapons	.40 caliber pistol .38 caliber revolver
Deaths	4
Injured	12
Perpetrator	Gabriel Rodrigues Castiglioni
Motive	Accelerationism, Neo-Nazism

Map of Aracruz

The Aracruz school shootings were a shooting spree that occurred on November 25, 2022, at two schools in Aracruz, Espírito Santo, Brazil. Four people were killed, and 12 others were injured. The suspect, a 16-year-old former student at one of the schools, was arrested approximately four hours later.

Shootings

The shootings began at around 9:30 a.m. and occurred at two schools located on the same street. The gunman, who wore camouflaged clothing, an armband with a swastika, a skull mask, and a bucket hat, broke into the Primo Bitti Elementary and Middle School, a public school serving elementary and middle school students, after destroying a lock. There, he shot 11 people, killing two teachers. A third teacher died a day later.

Afterwards, the gunman drove to the Educational Center Praia de Coqueiral, a private school. Entering at 9:49 a.m. through the unlocked gates, he shot an additional three people, killing a female 6th-grade student. The gunman fled again a minute later and remained at large for approximately 4 hours. Later, the Military Police released a statement confirming that a suspect was in custody.

Victims

The victims of the attacks were identified by multiple news sources:

1. Selena Zagrillo, 12
2. Maria da Penha Pereira de Melo Banhos, 48
3. Cybelle Passos Bezerra Lara, 45
4. Flavia Amoss Merçon Leonardo, 38

Aftermath and reactions

After the shootings, Aracruz announced the suspension of all classes at municipal schools.

The Aracruz mayor said this was "the largest tragedy this city has ever seen". Renato Casagrande, the governor of Espírito Santo, said he would pay attention to the case with "much regret and sadness". He also declared three days of official mourning in the state. President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva posted on Twitter, "My solidarity to the families of the victims in this absurd tragedy."

Motive

Gabriel Rodrigues Castiglioni was reportedly active in online neo-Nazi communities which promoted accelerationism - including Terrorgram. In addition to this, the attire he wore during the attack bared a strong resemblance in style to the uniforms worn by members of the Atomwaffen Division. A homemade Nazi flag emblem can also been seen on the shoulder sleeve of Rodrigues' camouflage wear.