Rio's 41º Military Police Battalion that Shot 5 Last Week is the City's Most Violent

12/01/2015 - 09h19

In no other area of the city of Rio de Janeiro the police have shot and killed more than the 41º military police battalion, in Irajá. At the end of last week, four officers from the same battalion fired about 50 shots at a car killing the five young men who were in the vehicle.

	Bruna Fantti/Folhapress
	Officers fired about 50 shots at a car killing the five young men.

In 2015, for the third consecutive year (considering the period from January to October), the battalion registered homicide peaks caused by police action in the 15 neighborhoods under its responsibility.

A survey made by the Military Police shows the 41º battalion from Irajá used more firearms than any other in the city from December 2014 to May 2015.

Last Monday (30), the Military Police removed Lieutenant-colonel Marcos Netto from command of the battalion.

The four officers were arrested. They say they were chasing a stolen truck and the shooting was a reaction to being attacked by five guys who guarded the vehicle.

At the funeral of three of the five young men shot, family members carried a flag of the country with bullet holes.

Founded in 2010, the battalion is surrounded by slums. Other two cases headlined by its policemen have become examples of "what not to do" used by the corporation to teach new officers at the police academy. One occurred in August 2014, when two cops shot at a car without even trying to arrest the suspect. The shots killed Haíssa Motta, 22.

The second case happened in October, when an officer mistook a hydraulic jack with a rifle and shot the young man who carried the tool.

Translated by JULIANA CALDERARI

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