Horrible Start to the Year: Gunman Kills 11, Self, in New Year Party

A twisted gunman gained entry into a house party and murdered 11 people  including his ex wife and his 8-year-old son on New Year eve, before going ahead to shoot himself in the head.

A New Year’s party in the southeastern Brazilian city of Campinas late on Saturday became the worst possible start to a New Year as 11 (12 if you count the shooter) vibrant and healthy persons lost their lives at the hand of a suicidal gunman.

The gunman who was identified by the São Paulo Police as 46-year-old Sidnei Ramis de Araújo, was believed to have been angry over the separation with his wife, Isamara Filier, 41, who had custody of their son João Victor.

Following the attack, three other people remain hospitalized with various degrees of bullet wounds. Police report said, some four people survived the attack without sustaining any injury – a party attendee who escaped to a bathroom when the shooting started, had called in the police.

According to a São Paulo police spokesman, the deranged shooter had managed to gain entry to the party by jumping the fence of an adjoining building and bursting open the door to the party hall and began shooting, killing his wife and son.

One neighbour who spoke on television said, he and his family heard shots, but they thought it was the fireworks, until one wounded person ran into their house, crying and pleading for first aid.

Police said Araújo who was a laboratory technician, used a 9 mm pistol in carrying out the attack – he also carried two additional clips, extra ammunition, a knife and even some unspecified amount of unused explosives.

Brazilian police say they are currently analyzing the explosives in addition to a cell phone and audio recorder found in a car he parked outside the home to determine whether the gunman (Araujo) left any sort of message about his attack.

Police said they could not ascertain if Araújo had a history of violence, or whether he had been known to physically harm or threaten his former wife before the attack.

Campinas, an industrial and university city of over 1 million residents, is located about 100 kilometres northwest of the city of São Paulo, Brazil’s biggest metropolis.