In a significant development, the Rio de Janeiro State Prosecutor's Office (MPRJ) has officially charged two military police officers with the crime of triple-qualified intentional homicide. The charges stem from the fatal shooting of businessman Daniel Patrício Santos de Oliveira during an early morning police approach in the Pavuna neighborhood of Rio's North Zone.
The incident occurred on April 22nd. According to the prosecution's case, officers Rafael Assunção Marinho and Rodrigo da Silva Alves, from the 41st BPM (Irajá), fired more than 20 rifle shots at the pickup truck carrying Daniel and three other individuals. The businessman was struck in the head and died instantly. Remarkably, the other three occupants of the vehicle were unharmed.
The prosecution alleges the crime was committed for a vile motive and using a method that hindered the victim's ability to defend himself. Investigations indicate the officers monitored the vehicle's movement for over an hour, accessing real-time information, before initiating the approach. The MPRJ states there was no roadblock, checkpoint, or order to stop issued prior to the gunfire, contradicting the officers' initial account.
Body camera footage, reviewed by authorities, has been central to the case. The recordings show the accused officers were in communication with individuals they referred to as "chief" and "commander" during the operation. The Specialized Public Security Action Group (Gaesp) coordinator, prosecutor Fábio Corrêa, previously stated that the footage suggests the approach was premeditated, describing it as "an ambush." The images also confirm the absence of any blockade or audible stop order before the shots were fired.
Daniel Patrício Santos de Oliveira was a 29-year-old entrepreneur who owned an electronics store in the area and had lived in the neighborhood for over two decades. He was returning from a pagode music event with friends when the fatal encounter occurred. He leaves behind a wife and a four-year-old daughter. His family had immediately contested the police's initial version of events, with his sister noting that 23 shots fired did not constitute a standard order to stop.
The investigation is also exploring whether other agents, including superior officers, played a direct or indirect role in the case. The line of inquiry includes the possibility that the businessman was being extorted or had been targeted in previous police approaches. The two charged officers were arrested in flagrante delicto on the day of the crime, and their detention has since been converted to preventive imprisonment.
The MPRJ has also requested the lifting of telephone and telematic data secrecy for the accused, including analysis of the cell phones seized at the time of their arrest. As of the last update, there has been no public statement from the defense attorneys representing the charged officers.
Based on reporting from g1.