Two bricklayers were killed by military police during an operation on Wednesday in São Gonçalo. The brother of one victim was detained after protesting at the scene.
Marcelo da Cruz Silva, 41, and Edvan Felipe de Assis, 46, were shot while riding a motorcycle to a construction site in Ipuca, Jardim Catarina. They were carrying tools and lunch boxes that may have been mistaken for weapons.
Marcelo’s body was viewed and buried on Thursday afternoon at São Miguel cemetery in São Gonçalo. At the wake, his brother Márcio da Cruz Silva said: "My brother was a worker, not a trafficker." Márcio was arrested after being accused of damaging a police vehicle and released after paying R$ 5,000 bail.
The Military Police stated it opened an internal inquiry, secured the scene and called in the Civil Police. The force expressed regret over the deaths and said it is fully cooperating with investigations. The Civil Police is hearing witnesses, seized the officers’ weapons and requested body camera footage.
