A 19-year-old student who wanted to find “peace” with herself shot a classmate at a high school in the northern Brazilian city of Natal on Tuesday, Rio Grande de Norte civilian police said.
Authorities said Lyedja Santos saw an 18-year-old classmate in the hallway and shot him in the head at E. Berilo Wanderley School.
Santos, who is in 11th grade, then walked into a classroom and tried to shoot a teacher as students were about to take a test, but the gun jammed, Brazilian news channel G1 reported.
A student who was in the class told Inter TV Cabugi that one of their male classmates rushed at Santos and was able to restrain her.
“We were in class about to take the test and she called her friends to talk to her, to talk about the class. A short time passed, about a minute, and all we heard was the shot,” the student said.
‘We weren’t sure if it was a shot, we thought it was a bomb. “She entered the classroom armed, aiming at the teacher’s head, but the gun jammed,” they recalled.
“When it got stuck, she turned and tried to run away, and the boy in the classroom jumped on top of her and managed to pull her away.”
Rio Grande do Norte military police recovered the .38 caliber revolver Santos had in her possession, as well as three knives and several books on serial killers.
Lyedja Santos, a 19-year-old student, was arrested Tuesday after shooting an 18-year-old classmate in the head at the E. Berilo Wanderley School, a high school in the northern Brazilian city of Natal. Santos had composed a note telling her friends and family that she wanted to be “at peace” with herself. Her classmate has been in hospital since Wednesday and her condition is stable
A student restrained Lyedja Santos (bottom right) while teachers tended to the injured classmate (top left) who was shot in the head by Santos
Authorities also found a handwritten note Santos was carrying detailing the motive behind the botched school massacre.
“I acted alone, I acquired everything myself and no one knew anything about it,” she wrote.
“To my friends and family: I thank you for everything you have done for me and I am sorry for everything I have caused. I never dreamed of dying like this, but this was the best option.
“I loved you all, even if I didn’t show it. I hope you understand and forgive me because that is the only way I can find peace.”
The injured student, who is also in the 11th grade and whose name has not been released, is in stable condition at Monsenhor Walfredo Gurgel Hospital, his father told G1.
“There’s an entry and exit hole, the bullet wasn’t stuck,” said Ilzeany Dilis, a nurse technician at the Mobile Emergency Room.
‘At that time [of the shooting]he was conscious, oriented, and had vomiting symptoms. He has had a CT scan, been examined by a neurologist and his health is excellent.’
Lyedja Santos has been charged with attempted murder. She had to appear in court on Wednesday
Authorities seized three knives and the .38 caliber revolver the 19-year-old girl used to shoot her high school classmate
Lyedja Santos made a handwritten note explaining her motive: “I acted alone, I acquired everything myself and no one knew anything about it. To my friends and family: I thank you for everything you have done for me and I am sorry for everything I have caused. I never dreamed of dying like this, but this was the best option. I loved you all, even if I didn’t show it. I hope you understand and forgive me because that is the only way I will find peace’
Santos was charged with attempted murder and was expected to appear in court on Wednesday.
Rio Grande do Norte’s Department of Education condemned the shooting and said the school would be closed until Thursday.
“The department is providing all necessary information to support the ongoing investigations conducted by the competent authorities, in addition to providing all necessary support to the school,” the report said.
‘The secretariat emphasizes that the safety of students, teachers and staff is a priority and that it is closely monitoring developments in this case. We express our solidarity with the family of the affected student and the school community. We reiterate our commitment to work together to ensure that appropriate measures are taken.”
Lyedja Santos planned a massacre at Berilo Wanderley High School, a high school in Natal, Brazil, on Monday, wounding a classmate and trying to shoot a teacher before her gun jammed
Santos will be accompanied by a police officer on Wednesday. The teenager was charged with attempted murder
The school shooting occurred after a 15-year-old high school student killed a classmate and a teacher and then committed suicide at Abundant Life Christian Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin.
Natalie ‘Samantha’ Rupnow injured six others during her attack, two of whom were in a ‘life-threatening’ condition.
Madison’s police chief says he is investigating possible social media posts from Wisconsin school shooter Natalie Rupnow that were shared online ahead of the massacre Monday morning.
The most chilling post Rupnow has ever made shows a person in a bathroom stall making an “OK” hand gesture and wearing black Doc Marten boots.
It was posted shortly before a teacher and a teenage student were murdered at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison before Rupnow committed suicide.
Authorities have yet to say whether this message or others were indeed posted by the 15-year-old killer, and DailyMail.com has been unable to authenticate them.
She injured six others during her attack, two of whom were in a ‘life-threatening’ condition.
The Doctor Marten boots post also shows Rupnow giving an ‘ok’ hand symbol.
That symbol has since been adopted by white supremacists due to its similarity to the letters WP (white power).
Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said the motive behind the shooting appears to have been a “combination of factors.”