Vitória school attack
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| Vitória school attack | |
|---|---|
| Location | Vitória, Espírito Santo, Brazil |
| Date | 19 August 2022 c. 2:00 p.m. |
| Target | Escola Municipal de Ensino Fundamental Eber Louzada Zippinotti |
Attack type | School attack, attempted mass murder |
| Weapons |
|
| Deaths | 0 |
| Injured | 3 |
| Perpetrator | Henrique Lira Trad |
| Motive |
|
On 19 August 2022, a school attack took place at the Municipal School of Fundamental Teaching Éber Louzada Zippinotti (in Portuguse, Escola Municipal de Ensino Fundamental Eber Louzada Zippinotti, abbreviated as EMEF Eber Louzada Zippinotti), located in Vitória, Espírito Santo, Brazil. In the event, 18-year-old former student Henrique Lira Trad threatened and attacked teachers, coordinators and students with a variety of weapons, including crossbows, knives and Molotov cocktails before being tackled and restrained by a physical education teacher, and was later arrested.
Background
[edit]Henrique Lira Trad (born 16 April 2004)[1] was raised by a family with a strong military tradition, with both a father and a grandfather being members of the Brazilian Armed Forces.[2] While growing up, he was characterized as an introvert who was very interested in computers and online games. During his stay at EMEF Eber Louzada Zippinotti, located in the Jardim da Penha neighborhood of Vitória, Espírito Santo, he was reportedly bullied, and organized his attack as a method of revenge. He begun his planning in 2019, being "inspired" by the Suzano massacre, in which two former students killed seven people at their former high school (plus one at home) before dying in a suicide pact.[3] According to his parents, in the months before the attack, he started showing more extreme introverted behavior, spending nearly every waking hour online, although he never showed any obvious mental health issues.[2] He also started dressing in all-black clothing and showed an interest towards Adolf Hitler.[2] He often discussed the possibility of committing such an attack with his colleagues.[1]
He spent around 2,000 R$ (around $340 as of 2025) on supplies,[4] which included three crossbows, 57 arrows and bolts, one large knife, six kunai knives,[1] all bought online. In the hours preceding the attack, he played the Japanese role-playing video game Morimiya Middle School Shooting, in which a young woman arms herself and attacks her school before being confronted by police, for multiple hours.[5]
Attack
[edit]On 19 August 2022, at around 13:45, Lira took an Uber ride to EMEF Eber Louzada Zippinotti. Along with the weapons bought online, he also brought three Molotov cocktails, one more bottle of an unspecified flammable liquid, matches, a lighter, tactical gloves, and a padlock, all in two backpacks.[6] Arriving at 14:00, he initially tried directly going through the front entrance, claiming he was to go to a meeting,[5] but was denied entry by the school staff, at which point he broke in by jumping over a wall, leaving one of his backpacks behind.[7]
After breaking in, he made his way to the teachers' lounge and shot at a staff member with a traditional crossbow (which would be the only weapon used in the attack) but missed, at which point the school staff closed the door on him. He then went back to the school entrance and closed it with his padlock to prevent potential victims from escaping before climbing the stairs to the second floor of the school to look for more potential victims. He tried shooting at a service provider, but again missed. On the second floor, he pointed his crossbow at a 10-year-old child's head, screamed at him to shut up, and forced him to accompany him. The child then kicked the crossbow out of Lira's hands, shooting a bolt on the way down, scratching the child's face. He then broke into a 5th-grade classroom and shot again at a teacher, hitting her in the leg. He shot again at another 10-year-old and missed once more.[8] As he reloaded the crossbow, a school coordinator pushed him out of the classroom. Mistaking her for a different coordinator active at the school while he was still attending the school, he shot at her, injuring her in the leg.
As he reloaded his crossbow, a physical education teacher managed to tackle him. He was then tied up and immobilized by an off-duty officer until the arrival of the Military Police, which promptly arrested Lira for attempted murder.[9] Upon questioning, Lira stated his intention was to "kill as many people as possible"[8] (specifying 6 or 7 as a possible number of victims) before forcing a confrontation with responding police forces in which he would be killed.[7]
Victims
[edit]Three people were directly injured by crossbow bolts: One teacher (shot in the leg), one student (grazed by the cheek), and one school coordinator (shot in the leg).
Aftermath
[edit]The young man was initially charged with six counts of attempted murder against two children and four school employees. A one-month inquiry was opened into his behavior and online activities, which concluded on 29 September.[10] His trial began on 19 May 2023.[11] He was convicted on five of those charges and further charged with one count of unlawful restraint.[3] He faced a maximum of 50 years' imprisonment.[8] The rest of the trial was held under seal and the outcome is not publicly available.[12]
Henrique Lira Trad's father was charged with procedural fraud, as he destroyed Henrique Lira Trad's cell phone hours after the attack right in front of a police station.[4] The Public Ministry of Espirito Santo did not follow up on this complaint, however, as there was not evidence for a conviction.[10]
The week after his rampage, the school implemented a panic button in the case of further attacks.[13]
One month after Trad's failed attack, a school shooting took place in the city of Barreiras, Bahia, where a 14-year-old student identified by the initials I.S.C. attacked Eurides Santana Municipal School with a .32 revolver (stolen from his father, a policeman), a machete, a knife and an improvised explosive device,[14] killing one girl before being shot and injured by police. Although the inquiry into Lira's actions had already concluded, a new investigation was opened after it was revealed I.S.C. and Lira were online acquaintances.[10] It was discovered they openly discussed their respective attacks' planning with each other, though they were not directly involved in each other's actions.[15] According to a manifesto by I.S.C., published on his Twitter account "Hannya_88", they talked together for a year, during which Trad tried to convince him to not commit the shooting, seeing as how he was younger than him.[16] The teenager was apparently "inspired"[4] by Trad's unsuccessful rampage, and took its weak points as subjects of study while preparing for his own attack.[16] He was later sentenced to three years' compulsory detainment, the harshest criminal penalty available for minors in Brazil.
In 2023, his mother, Adriana, gave an interview where she described raising him and the potential warning factors for other parents to look out for, such as a sudden emotional coldness and how social isolation can lead to mental illness,[2] a sentiment that had been shared by authorities in the weeks following the attack.[4]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c Denúncia revela ação de jovem que invadiu escola (in Portuguese). 30 September 2022 – via YouTube.
- ^ a b c d "'Pais têm de enxergar sinais', diz mãe de jovem que atacou escola no ES". Folha Vitória (in Brazilian Portuguese). 1 April 2023. Retrieved 13 March 2025.
- ^ a b "Jovem que invadiu escola em Vitória planejava massacre desde 2019, diz MPES". A Gazeta. Archived from the original on 9 November 2022. Retrieved 15 March 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ a b c d Estudante que invadiu escola em Vitória é indiciado por cinco tentativas de homicídio (Video) (in Brazilian Portuguese). 30 September 2022 – via YouTube.
- ^ a b Isabella (28 September 2022). "Jovem que invadiu escola em Vitória planejava ato inspirado em Suzano por chats na deep web". Folha Vitória (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 10 March 2025.
- ^ Isabella (28 September 2022). "Veja quais foram os 12 passos principais da ação do jovem que invadiu escola de Vitória". Folha Vitória (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 13 March 2025.
- ^ a b "'Tragédia foi evitada', diz major da PM sobre ação que conteve ex-aluno em escola". www.agazeta.com.br (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 10 March 2025.
- ^ a b c "Ex-aluno se preparou para massacre em jogo eletrônico". Tribuna Online | Seu portal de Notícias (in Brazilian Portuguese). 29 September 2022. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
- ^ Iures (20 August 2022). "Policial de folga ajudou a conter jovem armado que invadiu escola em Vitória". Folha Vitória (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 13 March 2025.
- ^ a b c "Polícia conclui inquérito de jovem que invadiu escola em Jardim da Penha". ES360 (in Brazilian Portuguese). 29 September 2022. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
- ^ Es 360 (19 May 2023). "Acusado de invadir escola em Jardim da Penha passará por nova audiência". ES360 (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 10 March 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Magesky, Laís (20 August 2022). "Perfil com nome de jovem que invadiu escola de Vitória se define como "sancto"; entenda o termo". Folha Vitória (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 13 March 2025.
- ^ "Escola de Vitória invadida por ex-aluno terá botão do pânico". G1 (in Brazilian Portuguese). 22 August 2022. Retrieved 13 March 2025.
- ^ Fraga, Cesar Augusto de Lara (27 September 2022). "Atirador da Bahia tem 14 anos e usou arma do pai". Extra Classe (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 10 March 2025.
- ^ "Ediário". sistemas.tjes.jus.br. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
- ^ a b ""O perigo das redes sociais": terrorista na Bahia é amigo de jovem que planejou massacre em escola no Espírito Santo". Giro 7 (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 13 March 2025.