The Court of Justice of Rio de Janeiro (TJRJ) acquitted six military police officers involved in the case of the death of general services assistant Claudia Silva Ferreira, in 2014. She was shot near her home, in Morro da Congonha, in Madureira, in the suburb of Rio de Janeiro. The case gained notoriety because a video captured Claudia's body being dragged approximately 300 meters by a Military Police vehicle during a rescue attempt.
Claudia's death completed ten years last Saturday (16). The decision that acquitted the PMs was made by judge Alexandre Abrahão Dias Teixeira, and was taken on February 22nd. The case dealt with two accusations. Police officers Rodrigo Medeiros Boaventura and Zaqueu de Jesus Pereira Bueno were accused of murder, for having shot at the victim. At the time, both were arrested.
In another line of accusation, in addition to the two PMs mentioned, Adir Serrano Machado, Alex Sandro da Silva Alves, Rodney Miguel Archanjo and Gustavo Ribeiro Meirelles were accused of procedural fraud for having removed the victim's body from the place where she was shot.
Self-defense
The judge understood that there was not enough evidence about who was responsible for the shots that hit Claudia. She had left home to buy bread when she was surprised by an exchange of gunfire between the two police officers and drug dealers.
In the case records, judge Alexandre Abrahão cites the testimony of police chief Julio Cesar Phyrro de Carvalho, who stated that the place where the accused were located was “at the top of the community, in a dense forested region, with little visibility”. Furthermore, it was not possible to recover the projectile that hit Claudia, so a ballistic confrontation could be carried out with the PM's weapons.
At the time, three pistols, several detonated ammunition, a radio communicator and a large quantity of drugs were seized in the community. “Given the evidence in the case, it is inferred that the accused acted in self-defense”, says an excerpt from the sentence.
Depositions
Regarding the removal of the body, the Court understood that the police placed it in the vehicle in an attempt to help Claudia in a health unit. In their statements, the police officers claimed that they believed that the victim still had vital signs and added that residents of the community attacked the agents with a hostile attitude, making assistance difficult.
“In the back seat of the vehicle there were some weapons. The population was angry and tried to take the weapons for themselves, as well as attack the police. As the agents had to help Claudia, there was no time to remove the weapons from the bank. Because of this, they placed her inside the pocket of the vehicle”, stated in testimony Wagner Cristiano Moretzsohn, commander of the 9th Military Police Battalion at the time.
“I didn’t wait for the ambulance to arrive because there was a risk of a new armed confrontation and it was necessary to help her quickly”, explained PM Rodrigo Boaventura in his statement.
Other police officers involved cited in their statements the difficulty in providing assistance.
“I put Claudia in the passenger seat while I was attacked with slaps and kicks by several people. These people also shook and kicked the vehicle a lot, including the windows,” said police officer Adir Serrano Machado. He also said that, during the journey to the hospital, he did not notice the moment when the victim fell from the car.
“At one point, when we were traveling along Estrada Intendente Magalhães, I looked back and saw the door open. Claudia was not in the vehicle. I immediately ordered the car to stop and ran thinking she had fallen. I realized she was stuck in the trailer. I put her back in the car. At that moment I no longer noticed vital signs. At no time did anyone warn that Claudia was arrested, not even the boy who filmed what happened,” she declared.
In the process, the judge also took into account the testimony of nurse Danusa de Souza Ramos, who was on duty at the Carlos Chagas State Hospital. She stated that when Claudia arrived in the police car, “we didn’t realize she was dead. We thought she might be alive. But in the trauma room we realized that she already had no vital signs.”
When justifying the acquittal of the six PMs of the crime of procedural fraud, the judge wrote that “it has been proven that the accused did not innovate in an artificial way. On the contrary, it is clear that they tried to help the victim immediately, despite several members of the public acting to prevent assistance.”
Wanted
The process also deals with Ronald Felipe dos Santos. He is identified as one of the criminals who exchanged gunfire with the police. On the same day he was arrested after being admitted to an Emergency Care Unit (UPA). Ronald is currently on the run. The judge maintained the request for preventive detention against Ronald Felipe.
Indemnity
Less than a month after the death of Claudia, who was 38 years old, the government of Rio de Janeiro reached an agreement with her family to pay compensation for moral and material damages. The payment amount was not disclosed. The beneficiaries were her then husband and four children.
Source: CNN Brasil
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