A candidate for mayor of Guaruja, a tourist city on the southern coast of the Brazilian state of Sao Paulo, was killed Wednesday evening while attending an end-of-year party. Thiago Rodriguez, 34, a journalist and businessman running for mayor with the left-wing Rede Sustenabilidade party, was shot 13 times on the sidewalk of the house where the party was taking place.
The young journalist and politician was called to the door of the event house, located on Rua Caraguatatuba in the Vicente de Carvalho district, on the grounds that someone needed to talk to him. As soon as he left the area, Thiago began to be shot at by a cyclist approaching him at high speed, who was already shooting with a powerful 9 mm pistol.
The candidate nevertheless tried to escape, ran to Solemar Street, but lost consciousness. The killer approached Thiago and fired several more shots to ensure that the journalist and businessman would die immediately.
The killer, whose face was hidden by a white mask and cap, fled on his bicycle at the same speed as he arrived. Until this Thursday, there was still no information on whether the brutal execution was motivated by Thiago’s journalistic activities, whether it was a political crime or had any other reason.