Police Officer Arrested in São Paulo’s East Zone After Killing Motorcyclist

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – A State Police (PM) officer was arrested in the early hours of Saturday, July 25th, in São Paulo’s East Zone, after shooting a motorcyclist in the back. The victim died hours later at the Tide Setúbal Hospital, also in the East Zone.

According to the São Paulo Public Safety Secretariat (SSP-SP), the man was riding a motorcycle that had been stolen hours earlier and was recognized by the motorcycle owner as the perpetrator.

In a statement, the SSP states that the case has been recorded in the Homicide and Personal Protection Department (DHPP), which will pursue the investigations. “The State Police has initiated an Inquiry (IPM) and is working to clarify the facts,” the note said.

CCTV footage from a store shows a motorcycle riding at high speed and, a few seconds later, the same motorcycle turns up speeding in the opposite direction. The motorcyclist loses balance and a uniformed State Police officer appears with his gun in hand, chasing the motorcycle on foot and firing two shots. The first shot occurs when the motorcycle was stationary and the man had his back to the police officer, getting off the vehicle.

A few minutes later several State Police vehicles appear. The entire event occurs just outside the wall of the 29th São Paulo Police Station.

Deaths committed by the São Paulo State Police increase

The number of people killed by the São Paulo State Police increased 21 percent in the first half of this year compared to the same period in 2019, according to data from the Public Safety Secretariat (SSP).

A total of 435 people were killed by PMs on duty this year compared to 358 last year. The number of victims of off-duty PMs also increased. In 2019, there were 56 and there are now 63.

For the Brazilian Public Safety Forum, the numbers of police lethality in the state are serious.

“Violence does not solve the public safety problem. Intelligence and professionalism solve the problem. Because when you exchange gunfire, the police officer is at risk and society is at risk too… that needs to be made very clear in people’s minds,” says researcher Rafael Alcadipani.

For the State Police’s executive secretary, Col. Álvaro Camilo, the numbers are explained by the increase in ostensive policing in the state. “The police come when the crime is occurring, then, in this prompt response, arriving when the crime is underway, sometimes leads to confrontation. And the São Paulo police are well prepared for this confrontation,” he says.

Source: G1