The governor of São Paulo, Tarcísio de Freitas, lamented the death of medical student Marco Aurélio Cardenas Acosta, aged 22, and said that abuses by the Military Police will be severely punished. The governor’s statements were made on social media.
The student was killed on Wednesday (20) with a point-blank shot fired by military police officer Guilherme Augusto Macedo, at around 2:50 am, on the steps of a hotel on Rua Cubatão, in Vila Mariana, south of the capital of São Paulo.
“I am very sorry about the death of Marco Aurélio. This is not the conduct that the police of the state of São Paulo should have with any citizen, under any circumstances. The Military Police is an institution that is almost 200 years old, it is the most prepared police in the country and is on the streets to protect. Abuses will never be tolerated and will be severely punished”, said Tarcísio on social media.
Images from the hotel’s security camera show that the boy was shirtless when he entered the lobby. PM Guilherme Augusto Macedo held the young man’s arm, who tried to free himself, while the other police officer kicked him. Afterwards, it is possible to see that the PM shoots towards the boy, who falls to the ground.
According to information from the State Department of Public Security (SSP), Acosta struck the police vehicle, tried to escape and, when approached, “attacked” the police officers and was injured. The boy was rescued and taken to Ipiranga Hospital, but he did not survive the injury.
The military police officer was indicted for intentional homicide – when there is intent to kill – in a Military Police Inquiry (IPM), informed the Public Security Secretariat. The ministry added that the police officers’ body cameras recorded the incident.
Macedo, who fired the shot, and the other PM who participated in the incident gave a statement and will remain away from operational activities until the investigations are concluded.
