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, the Civil Police of Rio Grande do Norte 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 the 11th grade, then entered a classroom and tried to shoot a teacher as students were about to take a test, but the gun jammed, Brazilian news outlet G1 reported.
A student who was in the classroom told Inter TV Cabugi that one of his classmates lunged at Santos and managed to grab her.
‘We were in the classroom about to take the exam and she called her friends to talk to her, to talk about the classroom. A short time passed, about a minute, and we only heard the shot,’ the student said.
“We didn’t know for sure if it was a shot, we thought it was a bomb. She entered the classroom armed, she aimed it at the teacher’s head, but the gun jammed,” they recalled.
“When she got stuck, she turned her back to try to run, and the boy in the classroom jumped on top of her and managed to push her away.”
The Military Police of Rio Grande do Norte recovered the .38 caliber revolver that Santos had in his possession, as well as three knives and several books about serial killers.
Lyedja Santos, a 19-year-old student, was arrested Tuesday after shooting an 18-year-old classmate in the head at E. Berilo Wanderley School, a secondary school in the northern Brazilian city of Natal. Santos had prepared a note in which she told her friends and family that she wanted to be “at peace” with herself. Her classmate remained hospitalized as of Wednesday and is in stable condition.
A student restrained Lyedja Santos (below right) while teachers treated a wounded classmate (above left) who was shot in the head by Santos.
Authorities also found a handwritten note that Santos had with him detailing the motive behind the failed school massacre.
“I acted alone, I acquired everything on my own 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 would never have dreamed of dying like this, but this was the best option.
‘He loved each and every one of you, even if he didn’t show it. I hope you understand and forgive me, because only then will I find peace.’
The injured student, who is also in grade 11 and whose name has not been revealed, is in stable condition at the Monsenhor Walfredo Gurgel Hospital, his father told G1.
“There is an entry and exit hole, the bullet was not lodged,” said Ilzeany Dilis, a nursing technician at the Mobile Emergency Care Service.
‘At the time (of the shooting), he was conscious, oriented and had symptoms of vomiting. He had a CT scan, was evaluated by a neurologist and is in good health.’
Lyedja Santos has been charged with attempted murder. He was scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday.
Authorities seized three knives and the .38 caliber revolver that the 19-year-old girl used to shoot her high school classmate.
Lyedja Santos prepared a handwritten note to explain her reason: ‘I acted alone, I acquired everything on my own 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 would never have dreamed of dying like this, but this was the best option. He loved each and every one of you, even if he didn’t show it. I hope you understand and forgive me, because only then will I find peace.’
Santos was charged with attempted murder and was scheduled to appear in court Wednesday.
The Rio Grande do Norte Department of Education condemned the shooting and said the school would remain closed until Thursday.
“The department is providing all necessary information to assist in the ongoing investigations carried out by the relevant authorities, in addition to providing all necessary support to the school,” he said in a statement.
‘The secretariat reinforces that the safety of students, teachers and staff is a priority and that it is closely following the evolution of this case. We express our solidarity with the family of the affected student and the school community. “We reiterate our commitment to collaborate so that appropriate measures are taken.”
Lyedja Santos planned a massacre at Berilo Wanderley High School, a high school in Natal, Brazil, on Monday and injured a classmate and attempted to shoot a teacher before his gun jammed.
Santos is escorted by a police officer on Wednesday. The young man was charged with attempted murder
The school shooting took place after a 15-year-old high school student murdered a classmate and a teacher and then committed suicide at Abundant Life Christian Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin.
Natalie ‘Samantha’ Rupnow injured six other people during her spree, two of whom have been described as being in a “life-threatening” condition.
Madison’s police chief says he is investigating possible social media posts by Wisconsin school shooter Natalie Rupnow that were shared online before Monday morning’s bloodbath.
The creepiest post Rupnow could have made shows a person inside a bathroom making an “OK” hand gesture and wearing black Doc Marten boots.
It was published 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 that post or others were made by the 15-year-old killer, and DailyMail.com has not been able to authenticate them.
She injured six other people during her spree, two of whom have been described as being in a “life-threatening” condition.
The post for the Doctor Marten boots also shows Rupnow giving an “ok” hand symbol.
That symbol has since been adopted by white supremacists due to its resemblance to the letters WP (white power).
Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said the motive for the shooting appears to have been a “combination of factors.”