BRAZIL: Memorial service in honour of twelve children shot dead inside their classroom by a former student is held outside the school in Rio de Janeiro

Record ID: 276823

  • Title: BRAZIL: Memorial service in honour of twelve children shot dead inside their classroom by a former student is held outside the school in Rio de Janeiro
  • Date: 14th April 2011
  • Summary: VARIOUS OF PEOPLE PRAYING
  • Embargoed: 29th April 2011 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Brazil, Brazil
  • Country: Brazil
  • Topics: Crime / Law Enforcement
  • Reuters ID: LVA6QER99YUQPTE05F43X1VH4UW2
  • Story Text: Hundreds of Catholics and Evangelicals set aside their religious differences on Wednesday (April 13) to pray for the 12 children who were gunned down inside a public school in Rio de Janeiro last week.
    Wellington de Oliveira, a 24-year-old former student of the school located in Rio's poor outskirts, fired over sixty gunshots in two classrooms and killed ten girls and two boys aged 13 to 15.
    Grief-stricken families, friends and school employees stood outside the school to watch a memorial service celebrated by Rio's Archbishop Orani Joao Tempesta.
    Posters and flowers have been mounted around the school's walls in the past days. The brutal crime shocked the country where such massacre incidents are rare.
    Tempesta said the mass was intended to lift hope among those who lost their loved ones.
    "Today our commitment is with hope and peace. It is this city's commitment as well with a better world, a world that is more fair, human and united. This is a day to share with one another the pain but also the joy and hope that together we will be able to do a lot more. This is a celebration where we must hug the families of those who perished," he said.
    Weeping mourners hugged each other and sang religious songs as they recalled the dead children.
    Sandra Marques, who lives near the school, said she was there to support the victims' families and friends.
    "It is very important that we be here today to bring a little bit of solidarity for these families who lost so many people. This is an act of faith because only the spirit of God can bring some peace and hope to these families," she said.
    The tragedy has renewed the debate about firearms laws in the country. Under existing laws, any Brazilian over 25 without a criminal record can buy a gun, provided they pass background psychological checks and a shooting course.
    There are estimated to be more than 16 million guns in Brazil, eight million of which are not registered, according to a survey by non-governmental groups.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: Footage contains identifiable children: users must ensure that they comply with local laws and regulations governing the publishing of this material.
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