RIO DE JANEIRO — A tragic incident unfolded in southern Brazil as a 45-year-old man engaged in a deadly standoff that resulted in the deaths of his father, brother, and a police officer. The confrontational episode took place over several hours before the shooter was ultimately killed, with nine others sustaining injuries in the chaos.

The situation began late Tuesday in Novo Hamburgo, a city within the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. Authorities reported that the man’s father had contacted the police to express concern over his son’s aggressive conduct. Upon the police’s arrival, the son opened fire on the officers. The ensuing shootout stretched for nearly 10 hours, extending into the following morning, as stated by the state military police in a later press release.

Among those wounded were six military police officers, a municipal guard, and the shooter’s mother and sister-in-law. After special operations units managed to breach the residence the next morning, they discovered the shooter deceased inside.

Governor Eduardo Leite announced on social media platform X that police were responsible for the shooter’s death, though he did not divulge specific details. Officials from the news conference in Porto Alegre noted it remained uncertain whether the man was shot by the police or if he took his own life.

The perpetrator, identified as a truck driver, was responsible for the death of military police officer Everton Kirsch Júnior, aged 31, who had recently welcomed a baby just 45 days prior. Fernando Antônio Sodré de Oliveira, head of Rio Grande do Sul’s civil police, revealed that both the shooter and his father had previously struggled with schizophrenia during the press briefing.

Describing the scene, de Oliveira characterized it as a “war scenario,” noting that the assailant possessed an abundance of ammunition, two pistols, and two rifles, while consistently firing at law enforcement officials.

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva reported that four firearms had been registered under the shooter’s name and called attention to the need for stricter firearm regulations. He stated that the unregulated distribution of weapons in society, which frequently ends up in the hands of criminals, is an alarming issue. Lula expressed his condolences to the victims and emphasized the need for community support in the aftermath of the tragedy.

Former President Jair Bolsonaro, who oversaw policies from 2019 to 2022, had previously relaxed firearm ownership regulations, positing that it was essential for individuals to have the means to protect their families and possessions. In contrast, President Lula, who follows a leftist agenda, signed a decree in July 2023 that reinstated tighter restrictions on civilian gun access in an effort to counteract Bolsonaro’s firearm-friendly policies. This shift comes on the heels of a series of school shootings in a nation where such events are traditionally rare.