11 students die in Rio school shooting

RIO DE JANEIRO, April 7 (UPI) -- The death toll in a shooting rampage inside an elementary school Thursday in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, rose to 12, the city's health secretary said.

Police said the dead included 11 students and the gunman, identified as a former student, CNN reported.

The suspect, Wellington Menezes de Oliveiera, 23, was shot by police, officials said.

Thirteen other students remain injured, including four in critical condition, the health official said.

Police said the gunman was heavily armed.

Edmar Teixeira, a Rio de Janeiro city official, said the assailant left a letter at the scene, Agencia Brazil said. Teixeira said in the letter, filled with religious content, the gunman said he was HIV-positive.