Young Juliana Leite Rangel, 26 years old, shot in the head by agents of the Federal Highway Police (PRF) on Christmas Eve (24), had progressive clinical improvement and shows no signs of “irreversible permanent sequelae”. She breathes without the help of equipment, is lucid, can open her eyes and interact with the environment and people.
Information on the evolution of health status is in the medical bulletin released this Saturday (4) by the management of the Hospital Municipalizado Adão Pereira Nunes, in Duque de Caxias, in the metropolitan region of Rio de Janeiro.
“Our hearts are relieved, knowing that Juliana, my niece, is coming out of this,” he told Brazil Agency Washington Leite, the young woman’s uncle. “We made great progress and we are very happy. Lots of positive people sending good energy”, he added.
Health Chart
According to the statement, Juliana underwent a tracheostomy (a surgical procedure that consists of creating an opening in the trachea/throat so that the patient can breathe) carried out on the 30th, “but she has already started to breathe spontaneously, being removed from the support of mechanical ventilation”. She returns to mechanical ventilation only for chest physiotherapy for a few periods.
On Thursday (2) the sedation was completely suspended. “Since then, her neurological conditions have been improving, showing spontaneous eye opening, good interaction with the environment and people, appearing lucid, obeying commands, mobilizing all four limbs and showing preserved sensitivity”, describes the medical bulletin.
From a neurological point of view, the bulletin adds, “the patient has progressed in her level of consciousness, without new deficits, recovering her motor and cognitive functions in an incipient manner, but without signs of permanent, irreversible sequelae”.
The hospital reported that the psychomotor rehabilitation process has already begun and will continue according to the patient’s tolerance. Juliana Rangel remains in intensive care, monitored by the neurosurgery service together with a multidisciplinary team.
Remember the case
Juliana was shot with a rifle on Christmas Eve, inside the family car, on Rodovia Washington Luís (BR-040), in Duque de Caxias. According to her father, who was driving the car, there was no reason for the shooting. He was also hit in the left hand and was discharged on Tuesday night. The family car, of five people, had several gunshot wounds.
Investigation
The Federal Police (PF) and the Federal Public Ministry (MPF) are investigating the case. The general director of the PRF, Antônio Fernando Souza Oliveira, stated that the corporation is investigating all cases of excess during police approaches made by its agents. The two men and the woman who participated in the approach were preventively removed from all operational activities.
The case happened hours after the federal government published a decree to regulate the use of force during police operations. According to the text, “the use of a firearm will be a measure of last resort”.
Girl dead in 2023
In 2023, another case of a car hit by shots fired by federal highway police officers in Rio de Janeiro ended with the death of 3-year-old girl Heloísa dos Santos Silva. The approach was on September 7th, on the Raphael de Almeida Magalhães Highway, known as Arco Metropolitano, near the municipality of Seropédica.
THE MPF complaint details that Heloísa’s father, Willian de Souza, was driving the family vehicle and noticed that he was being followed by a police car. He turned on the turn signal and headed to the side of the road, but the police shot at the car while it was still moving.
