Two masked men carrying a variety of weapons burst into a school outside Sao Paulo, Brazil, Wednesday and left a bloodbath before killing themselves, VOA news reports.
Police in Suzano said eight people, mostly students and school administrators, were killed. A news report said at least 17 were wounded.
Police said the two were armed with guns, knives, axes and a crossbow.
“In my 34 years as a policeman, it’s the first time I see someone use a crossbow like that,” police Col. Marcelo Salles said. “It’s horrendous … an unspeakably brutal crime.”
At least one report said the gunmen were former students of the Raul Brasil school, but police said they did not have a motive.
The two were also suspected of killing a worker at a car dealership near the school before their attack.
Police said the two shot at students in a gym and fired at others who were enjoying a snack break.
A video shot by someone in the school showed students fleeing down hallways for safety while they screamed. Some could be heard begging for their lives as gunshots rang out.
Police said the two tried to get inside a room where students were hiding and shot and killed themselves as officers moved in.
“This was the saddest thing I have tended to in my whole life,” Sao Paulo state Gov. Joao Doria said. “I am very sad that an event such as this one happened in our country and here in Sao Paulo.”