Gunman kills 4 and himself at Brazil cathedral

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01:29

A gunman opened fire inside the Catholic cathedral in the Brazilian city of Campinas on Tuesday, fatally shooting four people before killing himself after police wounded him, authorities said.

Police identified the shooter as Euler Fernando Gandolfo, 49, a systems analyst with no criminal record.

Gandolfo entered the cathedral and sat down among mainly elderly worshipers who remained to pray after midday mass before he started to shoot at people randomly.

Municipal workers carry a dead body from the Cathedral of Campinas near Sao Paulo, Brazil, December 11, 2018. /VCG Photo

"I suddenly saw a man stand up, take position in front of a couple and shoot them point blank. I ran out fast and he continued firing, many shots," said Pedro Rodrigues, a 66-year-old retiree.

Campinas police chief Jose Henrique Ventura said security cameras showed Gandolfo walk into the cathedral and sit down. A little later he started shooting at people.

Police in the plaza outside rushed in when they heard the shots, Ventura told a news conference.

The gunman ran to the altar while firing at police and was hit in the side. He fell to the ground and shot himself in the head, Ventura said.

Municipal guards stand next to a covered body at the entrance of the Cathedral of Campinas, Brazil, December 11, 2018. /VCG Photo

Police have not established a motive.

Four people were shot dead and four others were wounded, but Ventura said they were out of danger in a hospital in Campinas, an industrial city 100 kilometers (62 miles) northwest of Sao Paulo.

(Top image: General view of the Catholic cathedral where a gunman killed four people in Campinas, Brazil, December 11, 2018. /VCG Photo)

(With input from Reuters.)

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