Buses set on fire after police suspect of killing man and dumping body in floodwaters

Several vehicles, including two passenger buses, were set on fire late Sunday in the Brazilian city of Porto Alegre, capital of Rio Grande do Sul state, to protest against local police after a man died under suspicious circumstances. A military brigade, as public security police are known in Rio Grande do Sul, had to use force to disperse people taking part in the protest, but there were no reports of injuries or arrests.

The attack on the vehicles took place on the corner of Avenida Princesa Isabel and Avenida Joao Pessoa in the Azenha district, where the Residencial Princesa Isabel housing complex, consisting of low-income houses, is located. It was from there, according to police, that dozens of people came who carried out the attack, who had nothing to do with the severe floods that have inundated Porto Alegre and almost the entire state of Rio Grande do Sul since April 29. and that as of this Sunday they have killed 157 people and another 94 are missing.

According to area residents who did not want to be identified for fear of retaliation, the violent protest was in response to the death of a man who also lived in the area, identified by family members as Vladimir de Abreu Oliveira. His family, also in confidence, said the man was approached by police and taken away by agents, and his body was found floating in floodwaters only two days later.

According to Vladimir’s relatives and neighbors, he used drugs, but had nothing to do with the criminal world. According to this version, Vladimir was killed for still unclear reasons, and his body was thrown into the water by the police, who did not agree to comment on the charges and officially stated that they knew nothing about the case.