The Capital Homicide Police Station (DHC) will investigate the shooting attack against three homeless men, in the early hours of this Friday (17). The shooters got out of a car and shot at the men who were under the Irajá viaduct, in the north of Rio, where they lived with other people in the same socially vulnerable condition.
Two of them died at the scene and the third was taken to Getúlio Vargas Hospital, in Penha, where he is hospitalized in serious condition. He was identified as Jaílton Matias Anselmo, 37 years old.
Military police officers from the Irajá Battalion responded to the incident and isolated the location for forensic work.
One of the dead was Ethervaldo Bispo dos Santos, aged 52, born in Salvador and suffering from the consequences of an ischemic stroke. He lived under the viaduct for more than 10 years and was known in the Irajá neighborhood. He was a percussionist and, due to the consequences of the disease, he participated in the rehearsals of the Movimento Afro Cultural Ilu Odara, an Afro group inspired by the rhythms of Afro samba and reggae.
The other dead has not yet been identified.
Ilu Odara Afro Cultural Movement
The movement’s creator, Lucas Xarará, said, on the block’s social network, that he was surprised by the attack.
“Today, we at the Afro Batikum Movement were surprised by the news of yet another attack on the homeless population, this time, on the residents who always welcomed us under the Irajá subway.”
According to Xarará, it was the Rio de Janeiro Municipal Social Assistance Secretariat that informed him about the death of Ethervaldo, who was known as Bahia. “He had no documentation or family in Rio. During exchanges with us, he said he was from Salvador.”
“We appeal here to all friends, supporters and authorities, to help us find family members or people who can recognize him. We want to guarantee a dignified burial, preserve his memory and pay him the respect he deserves”, he highlighted.
“May this gesture of welcome and struggle also be a way of denouncing the violence and abandonment that falls on those who can least defend themselves. If you have any information, please contact the Afro Batikum Movement or the competent bodies”, concluded the leader of the Afro bloc.
Public Defender
The sub-coordinator of the Human Rights Defense Center (Nudedh) of the Rio Public Defender’s Office, Cristiane Xavier, was at the Homicide Police Station, the Getúlio Vargas Hospital and the Legal Medical Institute to monitor the case.
The defender’s office will send a letter to the authorities to ensure the preservation of images eventually captured by cameras close to the crime scene.
The Commission for the Defense of Human Rights and Citizenship of the Legislative Assembly of the State of Rio de Janeiro (Alerj) repudiated the shooting attack.
“We have been following a dangerous advance in vigilante and hygienist practices in Rio. The absence of serious public policies, the increase in the number of homeless people and insufficient shelters can never justify someone shooting at these people”, said deputy Dani Monteiro, president of the commission.
*Vladimir Platonow, from TV Brasil
