Brazil police officers seen executing suspects are arrested

[Judi Lynn]

Brazil police officers seen executing suspects are arrested
RIO DE JANEIRO — The Associated Press
Published Friday, Mar. 31, 2017 2:28PM EDT
Last updated Friday, Mar. 31, 2017 2:33PM EDT


Brazilian police say they've arrested two officers seen on video executing two suspected gunmen lying injured on the ground.

Rio de Janeiro police spokesman Ivan Blaz told reporters on Friday that the two officers have been charged with murder.

The incident occurred Thursday in the low-income neighbourhood of Acari following a shootout between police and suspected drug traffickers.

In the video, the two officers are seen shooting the two suspects with automatic rifles. Both men appear to be moving before being shot.

More:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/feeds/canadian-press/world/brazil-police-officers-seen-executing-suspects-are-arrested/article34529701/

[Judi Lynn]

1. Video Shows Rio Police Executing Two Men

MARCH 31, 2017 4:39PM EDT Dispatches

Police Abuses Fuel the Cycle of Violence in Brazil


A police officer walks up to a man lying on the ground, reaches down, and picks up what appears to be an assault rifle beside the man. As the man looks up, the officer shoots him. The camera pans to follow another police officer, approaching a second man on the ground. He shoots him, and keeps walking.

The executions occurred just outside the wall of the Daniel Piza Municipal School in Rio de Janeiro on March 30.

Maria Eduarda Alves da Conceição, a 13-year-old student who was in gym class, was also killed. Her uncle told reporters she was shot three times when police opened fire on the two suspects from across the Acari River, which runs in front of the school.

Rio’s military police commander said the video revealed “blatant illegal actions.” But the commander’s own spokesperson was less clear. “Police officers need to be able to flip a switch in their minds, at times being defenders of rights and at times being warriors, because there is a real war,” he said.

More:
https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/03/31/video-shows-rio-police-executing-two-men