Gunman opened fire, killed people at Mass

A gunman opened fire killing at least four or five people people inside the Brazilian Cathedral of Our Lady of the Conception. The gunman then took his own life directly in front of the cathedral’s altar.

The man entered the cathedral just as midday Mass was about to finish on Tuesday.

According to the Military Police, he then began firing.

Besides the four people confirmed dead, at least four others were injured during the attack.

According to local fire department officials, the gunman was carrying two handguns, at least one of which was a .38 calibre revolver.

Father Amauri Thomazzi, who celebrated Tuesday’s midday Mass, published a video on his Facebook page, in which he requested prayer.

“At the end of the Mass, a person came in firing and took lives. Nobody could do anything,” he said.

“To you, friends, I ask only that you pray for the [attacker]. He killed himself after the situation. He shot people and there were over 20 shots in here, then he killed himself. So we pray for him and for those who have been injured, there are some fatalities,” he said.

The names of the victims and the attacker have not yet been disclosed.

The Archdiocese of Campinas’s Facebook page also urges Catholics to pray.

“A shooting left at least five people dead and four others injured in the early afternoon of Tuesday, inside the Metropolitan Cathedral of Campinas, in the city centre, according to information from the fire department. The motive is not yet known,” the Facebook post says.

“The cathedral remains closed for the care of the victims and the investigation of the police. Once we have more information, we will make it available. We count on the prayers of all in this moment of deep pain,” the post concluded.

“Let us ask Our Lady Immaculate to intercede for this cathedral, for these people and for these families,” Thomazzi suggests.

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News category: World.

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