It was a passerby who filmed the events from afar, and then broadcast the images on social networks, where they quickly turned around and sparked controversy. The victim thrown over the bridge was identified as a motorcycle delivery man. Falling three meters into a shallow stream according to local media, he was rescued by residents and taken to hospital. He was injured but is fine, according to TV Globo.
The Human Rights League publishes a map of deaths linked to police violence: “This type of initiative does not raise the debate”
The police officer already accused of murder
A few days after the incident, the police officer in question was arrested and imprisoned. The Brazilian media also reports that this man was charged with murder last year, after killing a man by shooting him twelve times. After investigation, the public prosecutor and the judge concluded that it was self-defense and the case was dismissed in January. The thirteen colleagues of this police officer, who were on the scene at the time of the tragedy, were suspended. On the evening of the incident, they apparently intervened to disperse “a funk event”.
The violent scene provoked a wave of anger and demonstrations in the state of Sao Paulo, where police violence has increased in recent months. Between January and September 2024, at least 580 people were killed during police interventions, which represents an increase of 55% compared to last year, during the same period.
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The responsibility of the state governor, Tarcísio de Freitas, is regularly pointed out. Close to former far-right Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, Tarcísio de Freitas became governor last year. It is described as “follower of repression“and a”police who kill“, according to Paulo César Ramos, sociologist and researcher at the Afrocebrap think tank, who spoke to the Guardian. Under his orders, the police officers feel “authorized to kill, and some feel obliged to do so“, adds the expert. Initially against bodycams on police officers, Tarcísio de Freitas finally changed his speech, after calls for resignation following a wave of murders by police officers in the state of Sao Paulo. “I was someone who was completely wrong on this issue. I had a wrong vision […] Today I am completely convinced that it is an instrument of protection“, he declared to the media after the events filmed last week.
