The rise of school shootings and other related attacks in Brazil

Mass murders are generally defined as violent acts that culminate in the death of at least three or four victims in the same event, excluding perpetrators from the count. Mass shooting, a subtype of mass murder, refers to attacks in which firearms are used as weapons.1Roza T.H. Valença A.M. Alexandre M.F.F. da Silva A.G. Telles L.E.B. Mass murders in Brazil: the rise of a tragic forensic and public health problem.Braz J Psychiatry. 2023; 45: 308-309Google Scholar,2Lankford A. Silver J. Why have public mass shootings become more deadly?.Criminol Publ Pol. 2020; 19: 37-60Crossref Scopus (40) Google Scholar In addition to the direct victims, mass murders are often associated with long-term adverse mental health outcomes in the affected communities.1Roza T.H. Valença A.M. Alexandre M.F.F. da Silva A.G. Telles L.E.B. Mass murders in Brazil: the rise of a tragic forensic and public health problem.Braz J Psychiatry. 2023; 45: 308-309Google Scholar Although not all school shootings and attacks meet the definition of mass murders, the year of 2023 was marked by some tragedies concerning these events in Brazil.1Roza T.H. Valença A.M. Alexandre M.F.F. da Silva A.G. Telles L.E.B. Mass murders in Brazil: the rise of a tragic forensic and public health problem.Braz J Psychiatry. 2023; 45: 308-309Google Scholar According to the electronic book called "Ataques de violência extrema em escolas no Brasil: causas e caminhos", over the past few years, there has been a marked increase in the number of school attacks in the country.3Vinha T. Garcia C. Nunes C.A.A. et al.Ataques de violência extrema em escolas no Brasil: causas e caminhos. 1st ed. D3e. 2023:1–64.https://d3e.com.br/relatorios/ataques-de-violencia-extrema-em-escolas-no-brasil/Google Scholar This report mapped and described the characteristics of violent attacks against schools which took place in Brazil between 2001 and October 2023, and which were perpetrated by students of former students of the targeted schools (n = 36 attacks). Approximately 60% of the total count of school attacks took place in 2022 and 2023. In the investigated period there were 137 victims not counting perpetrators (from which 35 were murdered in the attacks), and almost 95% of the fatal victims died in firearm attacks. It is noteworthy to describe that all the perpetrators were males, between the ages of 10 and 25.3Vinha T. Garcia C. Nunes C.A.A. et al.Ataques de violência extrema em escolas no Brasil: causas e caminhos. 1st ed. D3e. 2023:1–64.https://d3e.com.br/relatorios/ataques-de-violencia-extrema-em-escolas-no-brasil/Google Scholar The multiple sources used by the authors of the original report, for the mapping of the attacks, can be accessed in the original document.3Vinha T. Garcia C. Nunes C.A.A. et al.Ataques de violência extrema em escolas no Brasil: causas e caminhos. 1st ed. D3e. 2023:1–64.https://d3e.com.br/relatorios/ataques-de-violencia-extrema-em-escolas-no-brasil/Google Scholar Fig. 1 presents the distribution of the attacks and victims, in the investigated period, by Brazilian state, and Supplementary Figure S1 describes the number of school attacks per year. Over the past decades, there has been an increase in the number of attacks and victims of mass shootings in the US.2Lankford A. Silver J. Why have public mass shootings become more deadly?.Criminol Publ Pol. 2020; 19: 37-60Crossref Scopus (40) Google Scholar,4Lin P.I. Fei L. Barzman D. Hossain M. What have we learned from the time trend of mass shootings in the U.S.?.PLoS One. 2018; 13e0204722Crossref Scopus (35) Google Scholar One potential explanation for the increase of school attacks (a common target in such events) in Brazil could be the influence that American mass murders exert on potential perpetrators from other countries, with attackers attempting to use similar methods and characteristics, a phenomenon called by some as a "globalization" of the American mass shootings.1Roza T.H. Valença A.M. Alexandre M.F.F. da Silva A.G. Telles L.E.B. Mass murders in Brazil: the rise of a tragic forensic and public health problem.Braz J Psychiatry. 2023; 45: 308-309Google Scholar,5Silva J.R. Lankford A. The globalization of American mass shootings? An assessment of fame-seeking perpetrators and their influence worldwide.Int J Comp Appl Crim Justice. 2022; 28: 1-24Google Scholar Another important aspect associated with mass murders is the role of internet forums and social media pages. These platforms have been implicated in several past attacks, being used for the broadcasting or announcing of attacks; in addition, individuals interested in these violent acts use these online spaces for the discussion of methods and strategies (with the aim of increasing the impact and lethality of attacks), as well as for the stimulation of violent acts through the spread of conspiracy theories, hate speech and extremist propaganda.1Roza T.H. Valença A.M. Alexandre M.F.F. da Silva A.G. Telles L.E.B. Mass murders in Brazil: the rise of a tragic forensic and public health problem.Braz J Psychiatry. 2023; 45: 308-309Google Scholar,3Vinha T. Garcia C. Nunes C.A.A. et al.Ataques de violência extrema em escolas no Brasil: causas e caminhos. 1st ed. D3e. 2023:1–64.https://d3e.com.br/relatorios/ataques-de-violencia-extrema-em-escolas-no-brasil/Google Scholar,6Telles L.E.B. Roza T.H. Silva S.M.M. et al.Forensic psychiatry in the age of the internet: the use of internet forums on the promotion and planning of an adolescent mass shooting.Trends Psychiatry Psychother. 2022; (Available from:)https://doi.org/10.47626/2237-6089-2021-0414Google Scholar Nevertheless, it is essential to highlight that the data presented in this manuscript does not account for all mass murders in Brazil, being restricted to violent acts targeting schools and perpetrated by students/former students.3Vinha T. Garcia C. Nunes C.A.A. et al.Ataques de violência extrema em escolas no Brasil: causas e caminhos. 1st ed. D3e. 2023:1–64.https://d3e.com.br/relatorios/ataques-de-violencia-extrema-em-escolas-no-brasil/Google Scholar In this sense, it is urgent that Brazilian institutions create strategies to map these events. Measures should be put in place to prevent future attacks, including control of access to firearms and ammunition. Even though mass murders are difficult to predict, there is evidence that these acts are carefully premeditated, involving months or even years of intense planning before the enacting of the violent act. This period of planning may represent an important window of opportunity for preventive strategies.1Roza T.H. Valença A.M. Alexandre M.F.F. da Silva A.G. Telles L.E.B. Mass murders in Brazil: the rise of a tragic forensic and public health problem.Braz J Psychiatry. 2023; 45: 308-309Google Scholar, 2Lankford A. Silver J. Why have public mass shootings become more deadly?.Criminol Publ Pol. 2020; 19: 37-60Crossref Scopus (40) Google Scholar, 3Vinha T. Garcia C. Nunes C.A.A. et al.Ataques de violência extrema em escolas no Brasil: causas e caminhos. 1st ed. D3e. 2023:1–64.https://d3e.com.br/relatorios/ataques-de-violencia-extrema-em-escolas-no-brasil/Google Scholar THR: Conception, writing of the original draft, data collection, data analysis, data interpretation. LEBT: Supervision, writing–review and editing. The Lancet Group takes a neutral position with respect to territorial claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. We do not have any conflicts of interest to report. This manuscript did not receive any funding. Download .docx (.43 MB) Help with docx files Supplementary Figure