A 15-year-old student entered the Escuela Normal Mariano Moreno N°40 in San Cristóbal, Santa Fe, armed with a shotgun and killed 13-year-old Ian Cabrera on Monday morning. The attacker injured other students before being subdued by porter Fabio. Provincial authorities declared two days of mourning and suspended classes.
The attack took place around 7:15 a.m. in the school's internal patio as students prepared to raise the flag. The 15-year-old attacker, with no known prior incidents at the school, arrived on a blue motorcycle and hid the double-barrel shotgun in a guitar case. He fired in the bathroom and outside, yelling 'surprise', according to witnesses. One shot fatally struck Ian Cabrera, a first-year secondary student.
Fabio, the school porter, intervened heroically: 'He pointed at me, but didn't manage to pull the trigger', he told Telenoche. He managed to take the weapon from the disoriented teenager, who had a lost look. The attacker was detained immediately and is receiving assistance, though not imputable due to his age.
Santa Fe's Education Minister José Goity confirmed the shooter had complex family problems but no school alerts. 'It's unprecedented in the province', he said. Governor Maximiliano Pullaro canceled his schedule to support the community, and Mayor Marcelo Andreychuk described him as a 'good, studious student'.
Eight students were initially injured; six were discharged with minor wounds, and two remain hospitalized in stable condition: one at Hospital de Niños Dr. Orlando Alassia and another in Rafaela. A vigil was held at the school gate, and a relative of the victim urged not to ignore mental health: 'It's not a minor issue'.
