Rio judge acquits police officers who shot dead 14-year-old boy in his home

In a decision that surprised and outraged the victim’s family, the public ministry and residents, a judge in São Gonçalo, a metropolitan area of ​​the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro, acquitted on Tuesday, July 9, three police officers who, four years ago, shot a boy in the back during an operation. João Pedro Mattos Pinto, then 14, was shot in the back with a military rifle in his home in Morro do Salgueiro, São Gonçalo, on the night of May 18, 2020.

The crime, which had a huge resonance at the time, occurred when men from CORE, the Coordination of Special Operations, an elite group of the Civil Police (Judicial) that was carrying out a night operation in the region, invaded the residence of João Pedro, who was peacefully playing at home with friends of the same age. The boy, who was not holding any weapon and did not pose any danger to the agents, was shot in the back when, frightened by the intrusion of armed men, he tried to escape into one of the bedrooms.

However, according to Judge Juliana Bessa Ferras Crichtine, the agents acted in self-defense, since, according to her, dangerous criminals attacked them with explosive devices and weapons of war, and one or more of them were hiding in João Pedro’s house. This assertion, which was not confirmed by any other source or residents neighboring the residence, legitimized the police action, Judge IV of the Criminal Court of São Gonçalo stated in her order, since, despite the fact that an innocent person died, the agents defended their lives and entered the territory in search of the criminals who attacked them.

The three police officers charged by the prosecution were accused of double murder for base and useless reasons and were expected to appear before a jury of the people. However, by the decision of the judge, they, who had already been allowed to await trial at liberty, were acquitted of any charges.