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Show World &Nation Page 10 Friday, April 8, 2011 12 children killed in Brazil school shooting RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — A gunman roamed the halls of an elementary school in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday and killed 12 children, lining them up against a wall and shooting them in the head at point-blank range as he shouted, "I'm going to kill you all!" It was the worst school shooting in Brazil — and would have been deadlier if the gunman had not been shot in the legs by a police officer, who said the man then fell down some stairs and shot himself in the head. Images taken with a cell phone and posted on YouTube showed students fleeing wildly, screaming for help, many with their white and blue school shirts soaked in blood. Rio de Janeiro state's Secretariat of Health and Civil Defense said in a statement on its website that at least 12 other students were injured, many by gunfire, and taken to hospitals. At least two were in grave condition. Officials earlier reported 18 injured. The dead included 10 girls and two boys, plus the gunman, according to the Health and Civil Defense depart- ment. Those killed were between the ages of 12 and 15. One of the boys died at a hospital about 12 hours after the shooting. "He came in shooting," said Andreia Machado, recounting what her 13-year-old daughter, Thayane, told her before going into surgery. Thayane was hit by three bullets and lost feeling in her legs because one hit her spine, said her mother. Crying as she spoke, Machado wondered if her daughter would ever be able to return to school — or walk. "She's such an active child," she said. "That's the biggest fear I have, her not being able to walk again. But we have to trust in God." The gunman was identified as 23year-old Wellington Oliveira, who had once attended the Tasso da Silveira school in a working-class neighborhood in western Rio. No motive was known, but authorities said the shooter left a rambling and mostly incoherent letter at the scene indicating he wanted to kill himself. The letter also explained in detail how Oliveira wanted his corpse to be cared for — bathed and wrapped in a white sheet that he left in a bag in the first room where he said he would start shooting. The letter also states that the gunman should not be touched by anyone who is "impure" unless they wear gloves. "If possible I want to be buried next to my mother. A follower of God must visit my grave at least once. He must pray before my grave and ask God to forgive me for what I have done," read the letter, portions of which were posted on the Globo television network's website. Edmar Peixoto, the deputy mayor of western Rio, said the letter also stated the gunman was infected with the AIDS virus. The public school was in the midst of celebrating its 40th anniversary, and students' handmade posters commemorating the day could be seen through school windows. Rio Police Chief Martha Rocha said that when Oliveira first entered the A BOY WHO WAS WOUNDED in a school shooting lies on a stretcher as he is put in an ambulance in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil,Thursday April 7.A gunman opened fire at an elementary school in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday and killed at least I I adolescents before killing himself. AP photo school he told staff members he was there to give a lecture. Shortly afterward, he opened fire. Rocha said he was carrying two pistols and an ammunition belt. He fired off at least 30 rounds. Rio is a city rife with drug-gang violence in its vast slums, but school shootings are rare. The gunman had no criminal history, Rocha told a news conference. About 400 people were inside the school when the shooting began about 8:30 a.m. local time . The school serves grades one through eight. Some U.S. troops may stay in Iraq i requested BAGHDAD (AP) — Even with the burdens of combat in Afghanistan and unrest in the Arab world, the U.S. would keep American troops in Iraq beyond the agreed 2011 final withdrawal date if Iraq's government asked for extra help, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday. His comments give weight to an idea that is politically sensitive in both nations and which Iraq officially rejects. During what he said would probably be his final visit to Iraq as Pentagon chief, Gates urged the fractious Iraqi government to decide "pretty quickly" whether it wants to extend the U.S. presence beyond Dec. 31 to enable continued training of its security forces. Gates shares the view of many in the U.S. military that a longer U.S. stay would be useful in ensuring that Iraq's security and political gains do not unravel, but publicly he has insisted that the decision is Iraq's. "We are willing to have a presence beyond (2011), but we've got a lot of commitments," Gates said during a question-and-answer session with troops at a U.S. military compound on the outskirts of Baghdad. He cited U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan and Libya and noted that few people realize that 19 U.S. Navy ships and about 18,000 U.S. military personnel are assisting in earthquake, tsunami and nuclear reactor relief efforts in Japan. "So if folks here are going to want us to have a presence, we're going to need to get on with it pretty quickly in terms of our planning," he added. "I think there is interest in having a continuing presence. The politics are such that we'll just have to wait and see because the initiative ultimately has to come from the Iraqis." The American military presence is broadly unpopular in Iraq, even though many Iraqis say they are glad that the U.S.-led war toppled dictator Saddam Hussein. Many Iraqis say the visible presence of U.S. forces is a slight to their national pride, and unnecessary eight years after the start of the war. Iraq's perpetually squabbling politicians are wary of suggesting that the country cannot stand on its own, for fear that rivals could exploit such a statement. Gates' press secretary, Geoff Morrell said it was clear from Thursday's talks that al-Maliki does want US troops to stay beyond 2011. "It is our sense that there is a recognition on the part of Iraqi leaders that there is still a need for US forces in some capacity," Morrell said. The main problem is selling an extension to a skeptical Iraqi public. There are persistent rumors on the street that the U.S. has ulterior motives in Iraq, and wants to stay to keep a better foothold in the Middle East instead of as a backstop to Iraq's national defenses. U.S. officials reject that outright, saying they have no desire or plan for a permanent military footprint in the country. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki told Gates that he expects all U.S. troops to be out of Iraq by the end of the year as required under a 2008 security agreement between Baghdad and Washington, said Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh. News feed for Campus News? More info about local businesses? Perks, like coupons, discounts & stuff? There's an APP for that! .111_ AT&T 3G 12:20 PM 3 :31 IP IA AT&T .1 AT&T Utah Statesman Utah Statesman Back 3:32 PM Fox's Pizza Den Mifi SHARE THIS LISTING r. occessPERKS Exhibit confronts natio... 0 NEW OPENINGS More Like This Near Me ResLife, local volunteers and the Aggies Think, Care, Act (ATCA... Counselors hope to im... . Countless students suffer rom sleeping problems, and USU's... If If Chapter warns about... * Education college rank... For the 12th consecutiveyear, USU's College of Education... 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