“They were moments of true terror for all of us, both for the users and for us as technicians who experienced hours of panic,” stated Vera Batista, mentioning that authorities “took 40 minutes to arrive after the alert, despite the institution being located 10 kilometers from the city of Santarém.”
According to the employee, during this time, the staff and users of the association “tried to barricade themselves in certain places,” while the aggressor “went around the farm, breaking windows, doors, extinguishers, with everything he could find.”
The attack occurred on Tuesday when a 25-year-old user of the center “entered into conflict for refusing to be expelled and initiated the attack using a kitchen knife,” said the public relations officer of the GNR of Santarém.
The incident resulted in eight injuries, two of which were severe – one transported to Santarém Hospital and another by helicopter to Vila Franca de Xira -, four minor injuries from stab wounds, one from physical aggression, and another due to sudden illness.
“Apparently, the reason for the attack was an attempt to expel the aggressor from the treatment center which he did not accept,” said the GNR of Santarém after the detention of the perpetrator of the knife attack at a drug treatment center located in Almoster.
The two severely injured are “out of danger and stable,” confirmed Vera Batista, adding that “two users have already been discharged, and three remain hospitalized.”
The technician assured that despite the episode, “everything has returned to normal,” with users resuming daily activities and the team working to restore normal conditions at the facilities.
“We are all very shaken by the situation but trying to continue to do our work, which is why we are all here,” she stated, adding that the most affected area was “the secretariat area,” without direct impact on areas where daily activities take place for users.
According to the technician, they are “tidying everything, cleaning everything, so the facilities return to what they were before.” All users and victims are being supported by psychologists.
“We have psychologists working with us, our nurse, our general practitioner, we are all working as a team to restore normality,” she revealed, also stating that “it was an isolated act, which no one was expecting.”
The alert was given at 14:35 and mobilized 12 vehicles, 32 operatives, an INEM helicopter (HeliSul), and the Emergency and Resuscitation Medical Vehicle (VMER) from Vila Franca de Xira.
The public relations officer of the GNR of Santarém also revealed that the aggressor, detained shortly after the attack, will be presented in court in Santarém on Thursday.
The Picapau association is a private social solidarity institution founded in 1993 with the aim of combating drug addiction, poverty, and social exclusion, headquartered in the parish of Almoster, in the municipality of Santarém.
