NEWS CENTER – A 13-year-old teenager was shot dead late Sunday night (6) during a Military Police operation in Cidade de Deus, in the West Zone of Rio. Residents accuse PMs of killing Thiago Menezes Flausino and claim that the agents altered the crime scene. None of the Shock police officers who acted in the action wore cameras on their uniforms, which could help identify where the shot that hit and killed Thiago came from.
The boy’s family claims that the military arrived shooting.
“They were on a motorcycle on the main street of the CDD, the police met them and shot them a lot. They were shot a lot! My nephew is small, has the body of a child, and has more than 5 shots all over his body. a 13-year-old child,” reported Nathaly Bezerra Flausino, Thiago’s aunt.
A witness, who preferred not to be identified, confirms the family’s version.
“I was here at the time of the disastrous action by the Military Police. Entering Rua Jeremias when the police and Caveirão left. They were already shooting into our community, where there was more than one resident”, she says.
“When they saw that the child was already dead with a fatal shot, they wanted to remove the child’s body from the ground. We fought and did not let them take the child’s body“, completes the witness.
The witness also says that the police faked the scene.
“Furthermore, they simulated an exchange of fire outside to be able to say that there was an exchange of fire outside. It’s a lie”, highlights the resident. A video also shows that the police threw a grenade at residents who were filming the action.
O Estado é genocida e opressor, o morador n tem nada ver com essa guerra.
Montão de tiro atoa, forjando uma criança de 13 anos de idade, muita covardia por parte do estado, que tinha q servir e protejer, mais ta servindo só pra ELIMINAR SONHOSAté quando vcs vão fica nessa ? pic.twitter.com/mKdqzee8A3
— Bigodinho Cdd 😇🎈🚂💰🚩 (@BigodinhoCdd) August 7, 2023
Residents and family mourned the boy’s death. “A 13-year-old child who was brutally murdered by the police, the state and the government,” says her aunt. The teenager had the dream of being a soccer player and was part of a junior team. “Thiago was a studious boy, a football player, he had dreams. He was the number 10 of the team, he was a boy who went to church, family, he was always with us”, she reinforces.
One resident wrote: “Serve and protect whom? City of God in mourning, go with God, Thiago.”
47 minors shot in 2023
With the death of Thiago, there are already 47 teenagers and children shot in 2023, according to Instituto Fogo Cruzado. Of these, 21 died. In 2022, until August 7, there were 33 minors shot, of which 14 had died.
People took to the street on the night of 8th of August to protest the killing and were repressed by the police.
URGENTE: Manifestação neste momento na Cidade de Deus na Praça da CDD pela morte do Thiago Menezes #JustiçaParaThiago pic.twitter.com/77LcTbBuzX
— Voz das Comunidades 📰 (@vozdacomunidade) August 7, 2023
