Soldiers Who Killed Musician in Rio de Janeiro Are Arrested

By Lise Alves, Senior Contributing Reporter

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Rio de Janeiro’s Army command arrested ten of the twelve soldiers said to be working in the area where a car was riddled with more than 80 bullets from machine guns, killing a 51-one year old musician and leaving two wounded.

“The Brazilian Army reiterates its strict commitment to transparency and to the legal parameters imposed by the rule of law on the legitimate use of force by its members, vehemently repudiating excesses or abuses that may be committed when carrying out its activities,” said the statement issued by the Brazilian Army.

According to the Military Command of the East (CML), the army personnel were arrested in for not complying with the rules of engagement. The CML said it found inconsistencies between the facts initially reported by the military involved and the information retrieved by Rio’s Civil Police.

Initially, those involved reported that the group was attacked by criminals in the Guadalupe neighborhood. They said that they responded by firing back.

Ater doing an investigation on the spot, however, the Civil Police reported that there were no criminals in the car and that the two victims were members of a family.

The man who died was identified as Evaldo dos Santos Rosa. He was returning from a baby shower with his wife, father-in-law, seven-year-old son, and a family friend when they were attacked.

According to Rosa’s wife, after the first shots, neighbors came out to help her husband but had to take cover when the soldiers continued to shoot. “I had my hands on my head and told them (soldiers), ‘Please help my husband’ but they told me to run and laughed,” she told reporters crying.

Former Rio de Janeiro gubernatorial candidate, now federal deputy Marcelo Freixo said on social media that swifter action must be taken to prevent these tragedies.

“We demand the investigation and accountability of those involved. Cases such as this show how confrontational security policies, police lethality, and the loosening of investigation and accountability are disastrous,” said Freixo.