09 April,2011 08:03 AM IST | | Agencies
Grieving families gathered yesterday to bury 12 children gunned down in the halls of their Rio de Janeiro school, an unheard-of act of school violence which left stunned Brazilians struggling for answers.
Ten girls and two boys between the ages of 12 and 15 were killed, most shot in the head at point-blank range by 23-year-old Wellington Oliveira, who shot himself dead after being confronted by police.
Relatives of victims cry as they put their kin down for final resting yesterday
At least 12 other students were injured in the shooting at the Tasso da Silveira school. Two are in grave condition.
Neighbours wandered past the school in a shocked daze yesterday, leaving flowers along the wall of the school.
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Twelve crosses were left along a wall outside the school, the name of each victim written on pieces of paper above them.
Officials posted the schedule for 12 funerals on the school gate. On a blackboard in the school yard, teachers left messages calling for better security in Brazil's schools.u00a0
Motive?
The police say the gunman had a religious-themed suicide note in his pocket but his motive was unclear. The shooting would have been deadlier if the gunman had not been shot in the legs by a police officer before shooting himself in the head.
