"There is no greater pain than that of a family that loses its children or grandchildren."
Four children were tragically killed when a man armed with a hatchet stormed into a daycare center in Brazil on April 5. The attack stunned the nation and increased pressure on the government to stop the violence that has been spreading across the nation. In the attack in Blumenau, a city in southern Brazil close to the Atlantic coast, at least four additional kids were seriously injured.
The attacker, who entered the building by jumping a wall, turned himself in at a police station. He didn't seem to be associated with the facility, which provides after-school programs, nursery services, and preschool instruction. The ages of the deceased ranged from 5 to 7, officials told USA TODAY.
Four children killed in hatchet attack at Brazil daycare https://t.co/EY3UFrn3mB pic.twitter.com/wFOYMYDgf0
— New York Post (@nypost) April 5, 2023
Weeping parents were seen outside the private daycare center known as Cantinho do Bom Pastor. Valeria Aparecida Camilo, the mother of a 5-year-old daughter at the facility, claimed she was at work when a coworker learned of the situation. Gustavo, her husband, received the call and hurried to the school where he subsequently discovered that his daughter had lived.
“The moment I saw her, it was a relief,” Gustavo Camilo told The Associated Press outside the center. “But we feel sorry for everything that has happened, with the other kids who wound up dying.” Valeria was stunned too. “They have no cruelty, they’re kids,” she shared. “They’re 5 years old. What did a 5-year-old do to this person?”
One of the girls killed, according to Franciele Chequeto, was friends with her son Gabriel, who is 7 years old. “He wasn’t understanding,” Chequeto said. “I sat down and told him that he no longer will be able to see some of his little friends.”
Four children are dead and five others were injured after officials say a man armed with a hatchet scaled a wall at a daycare center in Brazil and attacked them. pic.twitter.com/tnYDjlqJzo
— Inside Edition (@InsideEdition) April 6, 2023
Ulisses Gabriel, the state's civil police commander, stated that the attacker was a 25-year-old man from Parana state, a nearby state. He will face charges for both attempted murder and murder. According to Gabriel, police believe that the assault was an individual incident unrelated to any previous incidents. The attack happened on the playground of the facility. His identity has not yet been verified by police, per AP. Ronnie Esteves, the police investigator in charge of the inquiry, told television reporters that authorities were still looking for a motive behind the attack.
“There are no words to console the families. Anyone who has lost a relative knows that there are no words,” a teary-eyed President Lula said on Wednesday, April 5, at the outset of a ministerial meeting. He requested his ministers observe a minute of silence. “There is no greater pain than that of a family that loses its children or grandchildren, even more so in an act of violence against innocent and defenseless children,” Lula wrote on Twitter.
The governor of the state of Santa Catarina, Jorginho Mello, tweeted his sorrow. “May God comfort the hearts of all families in this time of deep sorrow,” he said.
References:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2023/04/06/brazil-daycare-ax-attack/11613264002/
https://twitter.com/LulaOficial/status/1643607702948524035
Cover Image Sources: Getty Images | Photo by Monty Rakusen
