A soldier from the São Paulo Military Police was killed by criminals in Santos, in Baixada Santista, in São Paulo, this Friday 2.
Soldier Samuel Wesley Cosmo was part of the 1st Shock Police Battalion, which houses members of the Rondas Ostensivas Tobias de Aguiar, known as the Rota.
According to the PM, the soldier was on patrol with the team in support of Operation Verão in Baixada Santista, when he was surprised by the criminals.
The agent was rescued and underwent surgery at Santa Casa de Santos, but did not survive his injuries.
After the crime, the Civil Police and the PM began a joint operation to identify the suspects. Three men were arrested. A cell phone, a pistol charger and an ammunition case were seized from them.
Hours later, via social media, the governor of the state of São Paulo, Tarcisio de Freitas (Republicans), expressed solidarity with the soldier’s family and stated that he will work to identify and arrest the perpetrators of the crime.
Via X, formerly Twitter, the state’s Secretary of Public Security, Guilherme Derrite, announced the start of the Operation to punish the criminals involved.
Operation Shield in Baixada Santista
Although they do not mention the name, the standard conduct of the Tarcísio administration is to implement Operation Shield in response to the deaths of police officers.
In one month of activity, the operation left at least 28 people dead, becoming the deadliest by the São Paulo police since the Carandiru massacre in 1992.
The police officers were accused of extreme violence against residents of the region, who reported cases of threats and torture committed by the agents.
To carry out the operation, several state battalions were called in for reinforcements. The battalions called up did not wear security cameras on their uniforms.
According to a report from UOLthe victims of the operation did not undergo forensic examination and the PMs involved would have changed the circumstances of the deaths.
The operation was the target of complaints from several human rights bodies, which revealed that torture had taken place.
In December, a sergeant and a soldier, involved in the operation, became the first defendants. The court accused the duo of killing a resident of the region who did not pose any risks.
According to prosecutors, the agents had faked the crime scene to justify the death.