A father has shot dead 11 people at a tragic New Year’s Eve party including his eight-year-old son and ex-wife.
46-year-old Sidnei Araujo gatecrashed a family party near the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil, before going on a killing spree with a handgun.
At the time of the massacre Araujo was in a hostile custody battle with his ex-wife, Isamara Filler, over their son – Joao Victor. They were both killed in the attack before Sidnei turned the gun on himself, reports the Mirror.
A teenager who was at the party said:
At first, I thought it was nothing, then I realised I had heard gunshots. I hid in the bathroom. He tried to break the door, but couldn’t.
Later police found a 9mm pistol, a pocket knife, and numerous explosives on Araujo’s body.
The party was hosted by Liliane Ferreira who was killed along with five of her relatives.
Other victims included Filler’s brother, 33-year-old Rafael.
Araujo, who had studied at a prestigious university and worked as a government scientist at the National Center for Research in Energy and Materials, left an audio message apologising for his actions but blaming his ex-wife.
Numerous family friends have been utterly surprised by Araujo’s actions writing of their shock on Facebook.
One person wrote:
He’s always been wonderful. We grew up together. You can not believe he did such outrage. He was an example of a person.
Our thoughts go out to all those affected in this horrific mass attack…
