What is known about the case of a police officer who killed a young black man with a gunshot to the back in SP

New images from the monitoring cameras at the Oxxo market, on Avenida Cupecê, in the Jardim Prudência neighborhood, in the south of São Paulo, show that Gabriel Renan da Silva Soares was executed in the back by military police officer Vinicius de Lima Britto, on November 3 of this year .

The initial version presented by the PM was that the young man had mentioned being armed, which, in his version, would justify the shooting. A market attendant corroborated this narrative, claiming that Gabriel had said: “Don’t mess with me, I’m armed, I don’t want anything that’s yours.”

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However, the new images show that the young man, who had just stolen cleaning items, slipped when he tried to run out of the market and that at no point did he mention that he was armed. In the images, it is also possible to conclude that there was no dialogue, and that the police officer hit the victim in the back.

According to the civil police, Soares was hit by 11 shots. In a statement, the Public Security Secretariat (SSP) stated that the military police officer is away from operational activities, and that the case remains under investigation by the Department of Homicide and Personal Protection (DHPP). The images mentioned were captured, added to the records and are being analyzed to assist in the investigation of the facts.

Still in a statement, the SSP reinforced that “the victim’s family members were interviewed and efforts are underway to identify and qualify the witness who bumped into the victim as he fled the commercial establishment, moments before being shot. The Military Police monitors the investigations, providing support to the Civil Police. If the investigations point to the criminal liability of the military police officer, administrative measures will be adopted, including the possibility of disciplinary proceedings that could result in his exclusion from the Institution.”

Failure in psychological test

Military police officer Vinicius de Lima Britto, 24, who executed Gabriel Renan da Silva Soares, 26, with 11 shots in an Oxxo market, in the South Zone of São Paulo, had already failed a psychological exam when trying to join the Military Police for the first time. The assessment, carried out during a public competition for 2nd class soldier, in 2021, highlighted problems with sociability and lack of emotional control.

Despite initial disapproval, Britto he managed to join the corporation in the same year, after passing a second competition. During this period, he filed a writ of mandamus against the results of the first test, alleging subjectivity in the analysis, but the court denied the request and the case was dismissed.

THE CNN had access to the reserved report that details the reasons for the first rejection. The nine-page document states that Britto presented “inadequacy to the parameters required in the psychological profile established for the position”.

Among the critical points, experts highlighted difficulties in sociability and instability in interpersonal relationships. “Such characteristics contraindicate the candidate for the position, as they may compromise their ability to perceive and react appropriately to the demands of the role”, states an excerpt from the report.

Two psychologists who signed the document also highlighted that Britto has an unstable personality, with greater aptitude for activities in calm environments. “This tends to make it difficult to maintain and fulfill your obligations as expected,” details the report.

Another aspect highlighted that justifies the doctors’ decision was the tendency to lack emotional control, “tending to act strongly through unstable and unpredictable behaviors, with a propensity for physiological and psychological imbalance, being able to act without so much reflection in the face of unexpected situations “, says another excerpt.

The execution of Gabriel Renan da Silva Soares, killed in the back while trying to leave a supermarket after stealing cleaning products, was not the only lethal episode involving military police officer Vinicius de Lima Britto. The 26-year-old did not react or mention that he was armed, as initially alleged by the PM.

According to the police report, the motorcycle used by the alleged robbers was stolen. One of them was hit and died at the scene; the second tried to escape, but also died a hundred meters from the place where he was shot. The alleged weapon that would have been used by the suspects was never found. Britto justified the shooting as self-defense, but the case is still ongoing at the São Paulo Court of Justice.

Removal

As revealed by the portal “The chaff and the wheat” and confirmed by CNN Based on court documents, in December last year, Britto was involved in another case with a fatal outcome, this time in São Vicente, on the coast of São Paulo. According to his version, he was in a car with his girlfriend, while another soldier, a friend of his, was on a motorcycle with his girlfriend.

The São Paulo Public Security Secretariat (SSP-SP) reported that the police officer was removed from operational activities after executing Gabriel and that if the investigations point to the criminal liability of the military police officer, administrative measures will be adopted, including the possibility of disciplinary proceedings which could result in your exclusion from the Institution.

The report also questioned the fact that the soldier had failed and passed similar psychological exams within the space of a year and was awaiting a return.

This content was originally published in What is known about the case of a police officer who killed a young black man with a gunshot to the back in SP on the CNN Brasil website.

Source: CNN Brasil