Police Kill on Average One Teenager Per Week in São Paulo

10/16/2017 - 11h13

São Paulo police kill at least one teenager per week when it comes to shootouts in the outskirts of the city.

That's the conclusion that arises from a survey conducted by Folha, revealing that 391 teenagers were killed as a "result of police intervention" between July of 2016 and June of 2017.

The number of deaths during the 12 months represents 29% of all 1,353 violent deaths that were examined in the state capital, among which are cases of homicide and robbery resulting in death.

According to the Military Police, criminals are becoming more and more well-armed, and youngsters are typically more confrontational during shootouts.

According to specialists, however, not only is police violence too high, but it primarily targets poor people on the outskirts of the city.

The deaths that were taken into consideration include confrontations where police officers were both on and off duty.

Official statistics offered by the administration of Geraldo Alckmin (PSDB) indicate that 457 teenagers were killed in confrontations with the police during the period in question, but no information could be found concerning 66 of them on the Department of Public Safety's transparency webpage.

Such cases were, therefore, not taken into consideration in the elaboration of the survey.

Of all the conflicts, merely 10% took place in central São Paulo, while 36% of deaths caused by police officers took place in São Paulo's eastern district.

17% of people killed by police officers are between the ages of 14 and 17.

Translated by THOMAS MATHEWSON

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	Marlene Bergamo/Folhapress
	Wesley Ferreira Gomes (17), son of Iracema Oliveira Ferreira (38), was murdered by an off duty police officer