Rio de Janeiro (AP) — A military police officer in Brazil’s largest urban area threw a man off a bridge into a river early Monday morning, sparking immediate reactions.
Footage shown on local television stations showed several Sao Paulo state officials on a bridge next to motorcycles. At one point, one of them approaches a man in a blue T-shirt and lifts him by his legs before tipping him over the edge. It was not yet clear on Tuesday morning whether the man survived.
Even in a state where police violence is on the rise, the images were shocking and sparked outrage.
Trusted news and daily treats, straight to your inbox
See for yourself: The Yodel is the source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories.
“How absurd, how cowardly, how disgusting,” said journalist and television personality Guga Noblat on X.
Sao Paulo’s military police identified and suspended the officers involved, according to a statement from the State Secretariat for Public Security. It also condemned the officers’ conduct and said it was launching an investigation.
Also in Sao Paulo, footage obtained and published on Monday by local media G1 showed an off-duty military police officer last month firing a series of shots at a young man who had stolen packets of soap, killing him.
“Those who shoot people in the back, those who go so far as to throw someone off a bridge, are clearly not fit to wear this uniform. These cases will be investigated and severely punished,” Sao Paulo Governor Tarcísio de Freitas said in a statement about X.
De Freitas is an ally of former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, who has repeatedly expressed support for giving police carte blanche to kill criminals.
De Freitas took office in January 2023 and some characterize him as more moderate than Bolsonaro. Those who disagree have pointed to the increase in police violence under his watch, and he is facing increasing pressure from watchdogs.
During his first year in power, the number of teenagers killed by police rose 58.3% compared to 2022, according to a study by the Sou da Paz Institute for local media outlet UOL.
Between January and August 2024, Sao Paulo police killed 510 people, a 56% increase compared to the 327 killings in the same period in 2023, according to a study by Sou da Paz, based on data from the Sao Public Security Secretariat Paulo.
