Who is the militiaman who would be targeted instead of the doctor murdered in Rio de Janeiro?

The main line of investigation into the shooting attack on four doctors in Rio de Janeiro is that they were shot by mistake. In the action, three of them died and one is hospitalized. The police are investigating whether one of the doctors had been mistaken for a militiaman, the son of a former military police officer who is considered one of the main leaders of a militia that operates in the West Zone of Rio. Doctor Perseu Ribeiro Almeida, who died at the scene during the attack, he was physically similar to the militiaman, the TV Globo.

The crime may have been motivated by revenge from a rival group against the militiaman and his father. The militiaman the shooters were looking for used to frequent the same area where the crime took place this morning. With this, the Civil and Federal police are investigating whether the doctor had been mistaken for the criminal. Despite investigating the possibility that the crime had been committed by mistake, the possibility of a political crime was not ruled out.

In December 2020, the 1st Specialized Criminal Court ordered the preventive detention of nine members of a militia that operates in Rio das Pedras, Muzema and other locations in the West Zone of Rio. Among these militia members was the man similar to the murdered doctor. He was named as one of the group’s main leaders and sentenced to 8 years and 5 months in prison.

In March this year, he was placed under house arrest and released on parole ten days ago, newspapers reported. Folha de S. Paulo It is The globe. The decision was signed by judge Cariel Bezerra Patriota, who determined precautionary measures such as the need to appear in court every three months to prove their activities and return home by 11pm, where they must remain throughout the night.

According to the Court, the criminal organization would be responsible for exploring alternative transport in vans and motorcycle taxis, basic services such as water, gas and cable TV, extortionate charging of “security fees” to traders and residents, invasion and land grabbing , clandestine real estate construction, as well as attacks, threats and homicides in the region.

The complaint was presented by the Public Ministry of Rio de Janeiro (MPRJ), which launched Operation Sturm against the militiamen in 2020. In a note released at the time, the MP reported that the investigation began in April 2019 – between operations Intocáveis ​​1 and Intocáveis ​​2, which involved the militia member’s father – and managed to identify members of the criminal organization who, until then, were not known, and conducted various illicit activities, especially clandestine real estate exploration in the region.

The document highlighted the “huge social danger of these projects, which are intended to house thousands of people, without any type of technical training, control or guarantee regarding the health of the works and constructions”, such as the tragedy that occurred on April 12, 2019 , in which two irregular buildings located in Condomínio Figueiras collapsed in the Muzema region, resulting in the deaths of 24 people.

In addition to Perseu, doctors Diego Ralf Bomfim, brother of federal deputy Sâmia Bonfim (Psol-SP), Marcos de Andrade Corsato died. Doctor Daniel Sonnewend Proença, who was also shot in the action, is admitted to a private hospital and his condition is considered stable.