Rio de Janeiro, April 6, (dpa/GNA) – Four children between the ages of 4 and 7 were killed by a man wielding a hatchet in the southern Brazilian city of Blumenau on Wednesday, police said.
Other injured children had been taken to local hospitals for treatment and were in stable condition, according to Santa Catarina state civil police chief Ulisses Gabriel.
A 25-year-old man had jumped over the wall and entered a private daycare, where he attacked children with a hatchet. The man then turned himself in at a police station and was placed under arrest.
Police were still trying to determine a motive hours later.
“The act is not linked to other criminal practices,” Gabriel told a news conference. “It is also not coordinated, such as through social networks or conversations between criminals.”
The man had already attracted the attention of Brazilian law enforcement several times, among other things because he had stabbed his stepfather.
Thirty days of mourning were declared in Blumenau and school classes suspended.
“We deeply regret this tragedy which sets a sad mark in the history of our city. May God comfort the hearts of all families,” a statement from the local government said.
GNA