A Brazilian police officer believed to be one of the bosses of Rio de Janeiro's militias - groups of vigilantes formed by policemen and former policemen who are taking over control of Rio's favelas (shantytowns) from the hands of drug lords - is dead.
He was executed, yesterday, February 22, with over 60 shots from large caliber weapons. Civilian police inspector Félix dos Santos Tostes, 49, seemed to be the head of the militias headquartered in Rio das Pedras, Jacarepaguá, in Rio's west side.
He was in his Toyota Hilux pickup truck in Recreio dos Bandeirantes, also in the west side, getting out of a building in reverse, when three men in a black Chevrolet Astra, according to witnesses, surrounded his car and started shooting giving him no chance of escaping or shooting back.
A fourth men kept the car running ready to get away. Tostes was leaving the apartment of a unidentified girlfriend. A woman who was passing by was hit in the leg by a bullet and had to be taken to a nearby hospital.
Another woman, apparently a relative of the policeman, came to the car soon after the shooting and started screaming that she knew who was behind the murder, that the culprit was Rio's council member Josinaldo Francisco da Cruz, better known as Nadinho:
"It was Nadinho," she shouted. "Everybody knows that. He wants to be the boss in Rio das Pedras." She then fainted. The son of the inspector also appeared and cried a lot next to the bullet-riddled car. While the crime happened at about 5 pm, the dead body was only taken away around 9 pm.
Police chief Carlos Augusto Nogueira, of the 16th Police District, says that he will be summoning Nadinho to testify even though the woman might have said that "in the heat of emotion" without having any evidence. Nadinho and Tostes used to be good friends and allies, but their relationship had suffered some setbacks, according to those who knew both.
Dozens of military police came to the scene of the crime. They called the dead man Rio das Pedras Félix or Rio das Pedras' boss. They all seemed surprised by the number of bullets used. 47 empty capsules were found just around the pickup truck. Despite witnesses account that 4 men were in the car, the Police believe that at least six gunmen took part in the execution.
Authorities will be investigating reports that the Felix militia was having a territorial dispute with another group headed by a policeman known as Robocop and his partner Girão, who is a fireman. Tostes was apparently bothered by the high profits the Robocop vigilantes were getting.
The duo also used to be good friends of Tostes. Now they are known to be planning an invasion of the Cidade de Deus favela, after having taken over five other slums in the surrounding area.
Subscribe to this comment's feed
written by original_lion, February 23, 2007
Retards with IQ = 70, fighting for - territory, just like packs of animals have done in the last 4 million years
Do you think that those half-monkeys (or their children) ever think about things like: cancer cure. DNA. Silicon chips. Planets. Mathematics. Computers. Classical music. Painting. Fine arts...
written by Gringo Dingo, February 24, 2007
written by CH.C., February 26, 2007
BUT....BUT....THE ARMY IS ALREADY IN RIO !!!!!!!!
What did they do ? NOTHING ! They are in training for the July Pan Americans Games !!!!!
Please jusr refer to what has been written in an article on this site a few days ago !!!!!!
But they are not in Rio to protect the citizens ! Who care about the citizens ?
Certainly not the Mayor, not the state governor, not the police, not the Federal politicians, not the Miliatias themselves criminals and not Lula !!!!!!
If you remember I wrote not so long ago, that NO ONE has an interest to reduce violence and crimes in your country because as long there is such a mess, your politicians have more time for corruptions and you the citizens will critize them less for their stealings because you are more concerned about your own security...since no one protect you !!!!!!
Your attention is simply being diverted......as usual !!!!
Expecting a change....is what Lula and the politicians...will repeat you time and again.
Reality being that...NOTHING WILL EVER CHANGE !!!!!
the poor will have to pay someone to get justice .
looks like the army should be patroling the streets in armord cars