Armed man invades Curitiba kindergarten, kills 13 children held hostage after three-hour standoff

A 40-year-old man invaded a municipal early childhood education center (CMEI) in the São Braz neighborhood of Curitiba, Paraná on Friday, October 9, 2026, armed with a knife, a fake firearm, and flammable material. He held approximately 13 children hostage for nearly three hours while police negotiated with him. During the standoff, the man displayed increasingly aggressive behavior, physically harmed some children, and threatened to set fire to the building using a lighter. When children showed signs of severe distress and one was visibly injured, tactical officers from the Special Operations Police Battalion (BOPE) intervened. The suspect attempted to reach one of the children during the police entry and was fatally shot. All 13 children were rescued; five required medical evaluation, with one sustaining visible facial injuries from the suspect's actions.

Police identified the suspect after the incident as a 40-year-old man with schizophrenia who had a documented history of violence. In April 2021, he had attempted to push women onto subway tracks at São Paulo's Sé station on the Red Line during the arrival of a train. He was detained and hospitalized at that time, receiving discharge on July 2, 2021. No information has been publicly disclosed regarding his motive for the current attack or any connection to the children or school.

The Curitiba municipal government stated that the education secretariat mobilized teams to support affected children, staff, and families with medical and psychological care. The children at the facility ranged from ages 4 to 5 years. Police command confirmed that the tactical decision to enter was made because extended negotiation had become insufficient to protect the hostages as the situation escalated. The Civil Police are expected to open an investigation into the circumstances and causes of the attack.