Alzenir and Raquel worked as inspectors at the São José Institute, in downtown Rio Branco, Acre, Brazil. On Tuesday the 5th, when they heard the gunshots inside the school, they did not run toward the exit. They ran toward the sound.
A 13-year-old student had taken his stepfather’s firearm—a lawyer—and entered the school intending to break into a classroom full of students. The two staff members intercepted him. They grabbed hold of him. They were hit by several shots and died at the scene. An 11-year-old girl was struck in the left thigh; another staff member, 45, was shot in the foot. Both were taken to the hospital in stable condition.
The teenager was detained. The stepfather, arrested. The bodies of Alzenir and Raquel remained at the school until the forensic experts finished their work. They were employees of an educational institution. That day, they chose to be something else: heroines 🫶