Ex-Soldier Kills 15 in Shooting Rampage

A former soldier went on a 22-hour shooting rampage that left 15 people dead before being killed in a gun battle with police in a small town in northeastern Brazil, police said. An accused accomplice said Genildo Ferreira de Franca, 27, “would laugh as if possessed by the devil” after each killing in Sao Goncalo do Amarante. Another person, a 16-year-old girl who accompanied Franca during much of the barrage, said he was despondent over the death of his 1-year-old son, who had been run over by a taxi two years ago. In a note, Franca also indicated he was angry that he had been called a homosexual.