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A picture of the dead gunnman who took his own life on the church altar

Brazil cathedral shooting leaves five dead and three hurt after gunman opens fire

 The suspect committed suicide at the altar of the Campinas Metropolitan Cathedral in Sao Paolo after targeting worshippers during a midday mass

A gunman entered a Catholic cathedral in the Brazilian city of Campinas on Tuesday and fatally shot four people attending midday mass before killing himself at the altar, fire department officials said.

Four elderly people were seriously wounded by the man, who began shooting at the congregation with two guns.

The shooing took place in Campinas, an industrial city 100 kilometers (62 miles) northwest of Sao Paulo.

The fatalities have not been identified and police are investigating the motive behind the crime.

Emergency services were dispatched to the scene around 1:20 pm.

"It was frightful," witness Alexandre Moraes told the GloboNews channel. "He entered and shot randomly at people. They

were all praying."

The initial information is that a woman of 65 years, with upper body injuries, was taken to the Mário Gatti Hospital; while another, aged 40, was taken to the Clínicas da Unicamp Hospital.

The third victim is reported to be in a stable state. However, there is no information as to which unit the injured victim has been sent.

The area surrounding the Cathedral has been cordoned off and and CCTV monitoring cameras showing the rescue by ambulance crew has recorded emergency operation in the area.

Campinas is an industrial city some 100 kilometers northwest of Sao Paulo, Brazil’s largest metropolis.

The Archdiocese of Campinas lamented the tragedy on Tuesday posting a message on social media calling for people to pray for the victims.

In the statement it acknowledged the shooting and said: “The Cathedral remains closed for the care of the victims and the investigation of the Police. Once we have more information, we will make it available. We count on the prayers of all in this moment of deep pain.”

Brazil had nearly 64,000 murders last year - more than any other country, according to the United Nations.

However, random mass shootings are relatively rare, with few American-style shootings in schools or other public areas.