| Aracruz school shootings | |
| Location: | Aracruz, Espírito Santo, Brazil |
| Timezone: | BRT (UTC-3) |
| Type: | Mass shooting, school shooting, spree shooting, mass murder |
| Weapons: |
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| Fatalities: | 4 |
| Injuries: | 11 |
| Perpetrator: | Gabriel Rodrigues Castiglioni |
| Motive: | Accelerationism, neo-Nazism, retaliation for bullying |
The Aracruz school shootings was a shooting spree that occurred on November 25, 2022, at two schools in Aracruz, Espírito Santo, Brazil. Four people were killed, and 11 others were injured. The perpetrator, Gabriel Rodrigues Castiglioni, a 16-year-old former student at one of the schools, was arrested approximately four hours later.[1] [2] [3]
The shootings began at around 9:30 a.m. and occurred at two schools located on the same street.[1] [4] During the shootings, the gunman, Gabriel Rodrigues Castiglioni, wore camouflaged clothing, an armband with a swastika, a skull mask, and a bucket hat. He broke into the Primo Bitti Elementary and Middle School, a public school serving elementary and middle school students, after destroying a lock. There, he shot 11 people, killing two teachers. A third teacher died a day later.[1] [5]
Afterwards, the gunman drove to the Educational Center Praia de Coqueiral, a private school.[1] Entering at 9:49 a.m. through the unlocked gates, he shot an additional three people, killing a female 6th-grade student. Rodrigues fled again a minute later and remained at large for approximately 4 hours. During his time at large, he put the weapons away, ate lunch with his parents and went with them to the family's beach house. His parents only found out about their son's actions later that day, when the Military Police arrested him at their home.[6] The police later issues a statement confirming that a suspect was in custody.[1] [7]
The victims of the attacks were identified by multiple news sources:
After the shootings, Aracruz announced the suspension of all classes at municipal schools.[11]
The Aracruz mayor said this was "the largest tragedy this city has ever seen".[12] Renato Casagrande, the governor of Espírito Santo, said he would pay attention to the case with "much regret and sadness".[13] He also declared three days of official mourning in the state.[5] President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva posted on Twitter, "My solidarity to the families of the victims in this absurd tragedy."[14]
The weapons used in the attack belonged to Rodrigues' father, a Military Police lieutenant.
Gabriel Rodrigues Castiglioni was reportedly active in online neo-Nazi communities which promoted accelerationism - including Terrorgram.[15] [16] In addition to this, the attire he wore during the attack bared a strong resemblance in style to the uniforms worn by members of the Atomwaffen Division.[17] A homemade Nazi flag emblem can also been seen on the shoulder sleeve of Rodrigues' camouflage wear.[18] [19]
He claimed to have begun planning the attack since 2019, when he was bullied at his school. Rodrigues would handle his father's guns in secrets and taught himself how to use them using internet tutorials.
