A tragic shooting incident occurred on Tuesday in Acre state, northern Brazil, resulting in the deaths of two women and injuries to two others, including a minor, according to officials.
The state government revealed that a 13-year-old student was responsible for the attack at the Instituto Sao Jose public school located in Rio Branco, the capital of Acre.
The two deceased were female staff members who succumbed to their injuries at the scene. An additional staff member and an 11-year-old student were also injured in the shooting; the young girl sustained a gunshot wound to her leg and was subsequently transported to a hospital for treatment.
The identities of those affected have not been released by authorities. Law enforcement confirmed that the suspect was apprehended and utilized a firearm registered to a guardian. Reports indicate that the weapon belonged to the teenager’s stepfather, who has also been taken into custody.
According to Lieutenant Colonel Felipe Russo from the Acre military police, the assailant discharged multiple rounds in a corridor leading to the principal’s office before surrendering to the authorities.
Eduardo Rodrigues Cavalcante, a hotel receptionist located near the school, recounted the chaos, noting that some students attempted to scale a six-meter-high wall separating the school from the hotel for safety. “Only one person managed to jump over and seek refuge here,” said the 19-year-old, who also described hearing “gunshots and a lot of screaming.”
Local media captured images showing a woman being carried out on a stretcher and scenes of grief as individuals outside the school embraced and cried.
Acre Governor Mailza Assis expressed profound condolences to the families of the victims, the Instituto Sao Jose community, and all educators impacted by the tragedy in an official statement.
In response to the incident, officials announced a three-day suspension of classes across all schools in the state and mobilized psychological support teams to aid affected students and teachers.
Brazil has experienced a disturbing rise in attacks on educational institutions in recent years. A shooting in September 2025 claimed the lives of two teenagers and injured three others at a school in Ceara, while an October 2023 incident in Sao Paulo resulted in the death of a 17-year-old student and injuries to three more. Earlier that year, a teenage student was killed, and three others were wounded in a knife attack after leaving a school in Minas Gerais. Additionally, in April 2023, a man attacked a daycare center in Santa Catarina, resulting in the tragic deaths of four young children.
In 2022, a former student armed with a semiautomatic pistol and a revolver killed four individuals and wounded twelve in two schools across Brazil, with authorities later revealing that the suspect had a swastika on his vest and had been planning the assault for two years.
Agence France-Presse contributed to this report.
