A 13-year-old student opened fire inside the Instituto San José in Rio Branco, the capital of Acre state in Brazil’s northern Amazon region, on Tuesday morning, killing two school employees and wounding at least two others in an attack that has sent shockwaves through the community and reignited debates over gun violence in educational institutions.
The victims were identified as Alzenir Pereira, 52, and Raquel Sales Feitosa, 45, both long-serving employees of the state-run school. Pereira worked as a custodian, although Feitosa was a teaching assistant. A third adult and a student—reportedly a 16-year-old male—were injured; the student suffered a gunshot wound to the leg and was taken to the local hospital for emergency treatment. The adult victim’s injuries were not immediately specified by authorities.
The attack unfolded in a first-floor corridor of the school, where the assailant—confirmed by police as a current student—used a firearm to fire multiple rounds before surrendering to arriving officers. Authorities later determined the weapon, a 9mm pistol, belonged to the boy’s stepfather, who was detained on Tuesday evening as part of the investigation. Police recovered additional ammunition and spare magazines at the scene, suggesting premeditation or a higher intent to inflict harm.
Initial confusion delayed the response: witnesses described the first gunshots as sounding like construction noise, a common occurrence in the school’s aging infrastructure. It was only after a teacher raised the alarm that students and staff began evacuating, with some seeking refuge in nearby classrooms. By the time police arrived, the shooter had already surrendered without resistance. Forensic teams later found dozens of spent shell casings scattered across the corridor, along with bloodstains near the entrance.
Rio Branco’s public security secretary, Felipe Russo, confirmed that the boy had been enrolled at the school for at least two years and had no prior disciplinary record. “He was a regular student with no known history of violence,” Russo told reporters, adding that investigators were reviewing the boy’s digital activity, including social media and school communications, for any signs of distress or threats. The state’s education department has since suspended classes across all 150 public schools in Acre for three days, citing the demand for “emotional stabilization” among students and staff.
Brazil’s Ministry of Education issued a statement condemning the attack and announcing the deployment of psychological support teams to affected schools. The ministry also ordered a review of security protocols in state-run educational institutions, though no immediate policy changes were announced. Meanwhile, local authorities have increased patrols around schools in Rio Branco, though critics argue such measures are reactive rather than preventive.
The case has exposed deep-seated concerns about gun access in Brazil, where private firearm ownership is legal under strict regulations. The boy’s stepfather, identified only as J.R.S., was taken into custody under suspicion of negligence for storing the weapon in a home shared with his stepson. Prosecutors have not yet determined whether charges will be filed against him, pending the completion of a ballistics report. The boy himself remains in police custody, with his legal representation still being arranged.
In the aftermath, parents and educators in Acre have demanded stricter controls on firearm possession, particularly in households with minors. “This represents not just a school tragedy—it’s a failure of our society,” said Maria Clara Silva, a Rio Branco-based psychologist and member of the local education council. “We can’t keep treating gun violence as an isolated incident when the problem is systemic.” Silva’s remarks reflect growing frustration with Brazil’s patchwork approach to gun regulation, which varies widely by state and often lacks enforcement.
As investigations continue, the focus remains on the boy’s motives and whether other students or staff may have been aware of his intentions. Police have not ruled out the possibility of an online radicalization influence, though no direct links have been established. The school’s principal, Carlos Eduardo Oliveira, declined to comment on the attack, citing ongoing trauma among the staff. “Our priority now is to support the families of the victims and ensure the safety of our remaining students,” he said.
The attack follows a series of high-profile shootings in Brazilian schools over the past decade, including the 2019 massacre in Suzano, São Paulo, where a 16-year-old killed seven students and wounded six others. Unlike that incident, however, Tuesday’s shooting did not involve a larger-scale assault, raising questions about whether the threat of gun violence in schools is becoming more diffuse rather than concentrated in specific regions.
With no immediate resolution in sight, the case has left Acre’s education system grappling with the immediate aftermath while grappling with broader questions about how to prevent such tragedies in the future.
