Five dead, four wounded in shooting at Catholic cathedral in Brazil

"It was frightful," a witness told the GloboNews channel. "He entered and shot randomly at people. They were all praying."</s>MANILA— Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Elmer Cato said the Philippine government is checking whether there are Filipino casualties in two separate gun attacks in Brazil and France on Wednesday.

No immediate reports of affected Filipinos from the Philippine Embassy in Brasilia and Philippine Consulate in Strasbourg were released yet, but Cato said the foreign posts have monitored the deadly shooting incidents that took place in Campinas and Strasbourg.

“We have monitored the shooting at the Metropolitan Cathedral in the city of Campinas near São Paulo. The Philippine Embassy in Brasilia will be sending us a report on this unfortunate incident,” he said in a text message to reporters.

“We are also monitoring a shooting incident in Strasbourg, France,” he added.

A gunman opened fire inside the church in Campinas near Brazil’s most populous city, São Paulo, killing five and wounding several others. The perpetrator then killed himself before police could arrest him.

Meanwhile, the gunman in Strasbourg remains at large after killing three and injuring at least a dozen people.

According to reports, the shooting advanced toward the Grand Rue, one of the city’s main shopping streets.

Some areas, including the European Parliament, were placed into lockdown with the public taking shelter inside the establishments and restaurants in the city. Joyce Ann L. Rocamora/PNA-northboundasia.com</s>Image copyright Reuters Image caption The Catholic cathedral in Campinas was the scene of a horrific attack

A gunman opened fire in a Catholic cathedral near Brazil's most populous city, São Paulo, killing five people and wounding several others.

The attack happened towards the end of a midday service in the Metropolitan Cathedral in Campinas city, police say.

The gunman, carrying a revolver and a pistol, rose from his seat and started shooting randomly, Brazil's O Globo News reports.

He then killed himself in front of the altar before police could arrest him.

The motive for the attack is not yet clear. Neither the gunman nor his victims have been identified.

Image copyright Reuters Image caption People were killed during a Mass

Major Adriano Augusto told O Globo News that the gunman stood up shortly after the prayers had ended.

"He first hit the people on the bench behind him," Major Augusto said. "Apparently he shot in several directions, not directed at anyone specifically."

Most of those who were hit were elderly, the newspaper reports. There is some confusion over the exact number of fatalities, with some reports putting the number at four.

Police officers outside the cathedral immediately entered after hearing the shots. Paramedics could be seen treating people at the scene. Ambulances rushed the wounded to hospital.

The archdiocese of São Paulo said on its Facebook page that the killings had caused "deep pain", and that the cathedral would remain shut while the police investigation was carried out.

Campinas is an industrial city some 100km (62 miles) north-west of São Paulo.</s>By AFP - Dec 11,2018 - Last updated at Dec 11,2018

Aerial view showing people gathering outside the Cathedral of Campinas, 90 km northwest of Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Tuesday, after a man opened fire during mass and killed at least five people before committing suicide (AFP photo)

SAO PAULO — A gunman opened fire in a cathedral in the southeastern Brazilian city of Campinas, near Sao Paulo, on Tuesday, killing at least five worshippers before committing suicide, police said.

Paramedics told media the man fired a revolver and a .38-caliber pistol inside the cathedral, also wounding several people before killing himself.

The motive of the shooting and the identity of the gunman were not immediately known.

“An individual entered a church and opened fire on several people,” a police spokesperson said.

“Currently the information we have is six deaths and three wounded,” the spokesperson said, declining for the moment to say whether the gunman was included in the toll.

However, television images showed the body of the gunman, lying inside the cathedral, holding a discharged pistol in his right hand.

Paramedics were also seen treating several people outside the cathedral and there were multiple police cars in the street.

“Everybody ran out. You can imagine that I’m shocked,” one woman who was attending the mass told Globo TV.

The archdiocese of Sao Paulo said on its Facebook page that the killings provoked “deep pain” and added that the cathedral would be closed for as long as required for the police investigation.

A police officer told Globo TV that most of those in the cathedral at the time were elderly.

“He opened fire on innocent people. It’s a big tragedy,” the officer said.

Last year, Brazil registered a record 63,880 murders. Its homicide rate of 30.8 per 100,000 inhabitants is three times higher than the level the UN considers to meet the definition of “endemic violence”.

Seventy per cent of murders in Brazil are committed with firearm, according to a monitoring group, Forum for Public Security.

The country’s incoming president, Jair Bolsonaro, who takes office on January 1, easily won November elections on a platform that included promises to ruthlessly crack down on crime and ease gun laws to allow “good” people to defend themselves.</s>A gunman opened fire Tuesday in a cathedral in the southeastern Brazilian city of Campinas near Sao Paulo, killing four worshippers before committing suicide as police shot at him, officials said.

Paramedics told reporters the man fired a revolver and a .38-caliber pistol inside the cathedral at 1:00 pm (1500 GMT) as a sparsely attended mass was taking place, also wounding several people before killing himself.

The motive of the shooting was not immediately known.

Police speaking to the G1 news website identified the gunman as a 49-year-old who resided in Valinhos, a town near Campinas.

"A man opened fire randomly on people inside until police intervened and shot at the gunman who then killed himself," the Security Secretariat for the state of Sao Paulo said in a statement.

In addition to the gunman, four other people died and another four were wounded, it added.

The secretariat said footage from the cathedral's security cameras would be analyzed.

News magazine Veja posted footage from one of the cameras inside the cathedral showing the gunman firing a handgun at worshippers as they sat in pews, moving toward his targets as he shot and headed to the altar.

Some survivors were seen running out the door. Two police officers then entered with pistols drawn and moved out of the frame.

"I had started to celebrate mass at 12:15 pm and at the end of the mass, a man entered and shot at his victims. Nobody was able to do anything," priest Amaury Thomazi said in a video published on social media.

Images broadcast on television showed the lifeless body of the gunman, wearing a blue t-shirt, lying inside the cathedral, holding a discharged pistol in his right hand and a revolver tucked into his jeans.

Paramedics treated several people outside the cathedral and there were multiple police cars in the street.

"Everybody ran out. You can imagine that I'm shocked," one woman who was attending the mass told Globo TV.

The archdiocese of Sao Paulo said on its Facebook page that the killings provoked "deep pain" and added that the cathedral would be closed for as long as required for the police investigation.

A police officer told Globo TV that most of those in the cathedral at the time were elderly.

"He opened fire on innocent people. It's a big tragedy," the officer said.

Brazil is one of the most violent countries in the world. Last year, it registered a record 63,880 murders. Its homicide rate of 30.8 per 100,000 inhabitants is three times higher than the level the UN considers to meet the definition of "endemic violence."

Seventy percent of murders in Brazil are committed with firearms, according to the Forum for Public Security monitoring group.

The country's incoming president, Jair Bolsonaro, who takes office on January 1, easily won November elections on a platform that included promises to ruthlessly crack down on crime and ease gun laws to allow "good" people to defend themselves.</s>At least four people were killed and four others wounded after a gunman opened fire in a cathedral in the southeastern Brazilian city of Campinas on Tuesday, Reuters reported. The assailant then killed himself after security forces wounded him, said authorities.

Police identified the shooter as Euler Fernando Gandolfo, a 49-year-old systems analyst with no previous criminal record. Campinas police chief Jose Henrique Ventura said the injured were taken to a hospital and were reportedly out of danger.

The incident took place at 1 pm local time (8.30 pm Indian time). Gandolfo was carrying a revolver and a .38-caliber pistol, AFP reported. “A man opened fire randomly on people inside until police intervened and shot at the gunman who then killed himself,” the Security Secretariat for the state of Sao Paulo said in a statement.

Ventura said security cameras showed Gandolfo enter the cathedral and sit down among worshippers who stayed behind to pray after midday mass. A while later, started shooting at people. Ventura said police officials stationed in the plaza outside rushed into the cathedral after hearing the gunshots.

Gandolfo then ran to the altar while firing at police and was hit in the side. Ventura said the gunman fell to ground and shot himself in the head. He had two guns with 28 rounds left when he died.

The police are yet to establish a motive behind the attack.

“I had started to celebrate mass at 12.15 pm and at the end of the mass, a man entered and shot at his victims,” said priest Amaury Thomazi in a video published on social media. “Nobody was able to do anything.”

The archdiocese of Sao Paulo on its Facebook page said that the killings provoked “deep pain”, adding that the cathedral would be closed for as long as needed for police investigation.

Brazil last year registered 63,880 murders and its murder rate of 30.8 per 1,00,000 citizens is three times higher than the level the United Nations considers to meet the definition of “endemic violence”. President Jair Bolsonaro, who takes office in January, won the elections last month and plans to relax gun legislation to allow Brazilians to arm themselves against criminals.</s>A gunman opened fire in a cathedral in the southeastern Brazilian city of Campinas, near Sao Paulo, on Tuesday, killing at least five worshippers before committing suicide, the police said.

Paramedics told media the man fired a revolver and a .38-caliber pistol inside the cathedral, also wounding several people before killing himself.

The motive of the shooting and the identity of the gunman were not immediately known.

"An individual entered a church and opened fire on several people," a police spokesperson said.

"Currently the information we have is six deaths and three wounded," the spokesperson said, declining for the moment to say whether the gunman was included in the toll.

However, television images showed the lifeless body of the gunman, wearing jeans and a blue t-shirt, lying inside the cathedral, holding a discharged pistol in his right hand.

Television also showed paramedics attending several people outside the cathedral and multiple police cars in the street.

For the latest News & Live Updates on Election Results from each assembly constituency in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Mizoram, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for updates.</s>A gunman entered a Catholic cathedral in the Brazilian city of Campinas on Tuesday and fatally shot four people attending midday mass before killing himself at the altar, fire department officials said.

Four elderly people were seriously wounded by the man, who began shooting at the congregation with two guns, according to a spokesman with the fire department in Campinas, an industrial city 100 kilometers (62 miles) northwest of Sao Paulo, where the shooting took place.

“It was frightful,” witness Alexandre Moraes told the GloboNews channel. “He entered and shot randomly at people. They were all praying.”

The wounded were taken to a hospital in Campinas.

Firemen at the scene said they had not identified the gunman.

Brazil had nearly 64,000 murders last year - more than any other country, according to the United Nations. However, random mass shootings are relatively rare, with few American-style shootings in schools or other public areas.</s>BRASILIA (Reuters) - A gunman entered a Catholic cathedral in the Brazilian city of Campinas on Tuesday and shot dead four people before killing himself, the GloboNews TV channel has reported.

At least three people were wounded and taken to the hospital in Campinas, an industrial city 100 kilometres northwest of Sao Paulo, Brazil's largest metropolis. Firemen at the scene said they had not identified the gunman who shot down people as they prayed.</s>SÃO PAULO, Brazil — A man in a cathedral in southern Brazil opened fire at the end of Mass on Tuesday, killing four people and injuring four more before killing himself, according to the authorities and witnesses.

The shooting took place around 1:20 p.m. at the Metropolitan Cathedral in Campinas, a Roman Catholic church in a wealthy agricultural city about 60 miles from São Paulo, a spokesman for the Campinas Firefighters Department said. He said the authorities did not know what motivated the shooter, who was armed with one pistol and one revolver.
A gunman kills four people and injures four others at a Catholic cathedral in Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil. The gunman commits suicide after the attack.