Five youth, ages 14-18, shot and killed by hooded assailants; 12 year old survives – Police believe massacre the work of a death squad

Note from BW of Brazil: Sometimes there are simply no words to describe tragedies that happen. And as these type of things are the norm in Brazil, what more can really be said? One thing is that there is simply a disregard for life and another is that it appears that black youth are endangered species throughout the country. Another outrageous detail to these murders is that as the climate of black male assassination by police in the United States gains international headlines, when Afro-Brazilians march and black youth continue to be murdered in what appears to be a clear vendetta, there’s hardly a peep in the international media. 

Although the three articles on this latest bloodbath mention nothing about the race of the victims, both the above photo and statistics over the past several years would suggest that all of the young victims of this latest massacre were probably Afro-Brazilians (black or brown). There are simply too many indicators that point to this conclusion. We know that Afro-Brazilians are referred to as “standard suspects” (see here and here). We know how the previous governor of Rio de Janeiro regarded young, poor black people. We know that in states such as Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Bahia, often times death squads are made up of off duty Military Police. Although we can’t rush to final judgement, there is a history of disregard for black life throughout Brazil. So even if there are a few details that turn out to be different, the end result is the same. Again, let’s just call it what it is: genocide!

Five young people are killed in a massacre in Duque de Caxias

12 year old was shot in the abdomen, survived and is hospitalized in Hospital de Saracuruna

By Marcello Victor

Five young people between the ages of 12 and 18 were shot by masked men late on Monday in Paulista Park in Duque de Caxias, in the Baixada Fluminense region of Rio de Janeiro. A 12 year old boy was shot in the abdomen and is admitted at the Hospital Adão Pereira Nunes, in Saracuruna. Outraged, residents and friends of the victims sealed off a stretch of Rio-Magé highway. A car that was stolen and abandoned on the margins of the highway was set ablaze. Two buses were stoned.

Residents said at least 20 shots were fired at around 8h40. According to a friend of the victims, as usual a group of at least seven friends were gathered talking on the corner of 36 and 22 streets. Five armed men in camouflage fatigues, inside a white Fiat Uno and a black Corsa approached the boys. After assaulting the group the criminals took ​​several shots then escaped.

Dying at the scene were Denis Alberto de Jesus and a young man identified only as Paulinho, both 18, and a 14 year old identified as Roni. After the escape of the killers, residents helped Tiago and Rafael, both 15, and Daniel da Silva Souza, 12, to the hospital. The first two succumbed to injuries and died. Daniel was shot in the abdomen. He underwent surgery and is hospitalized in the unit. The seventh youth managed to escape, but was overtaken by criminals. He was not killed only because the murder weapon failed.

Also according to friends, Denis returned from school. He and Paulinho did ​​sporadic services such as assistance on works. Outraged, residents closed the 139 Km of Rio-Mage, access to the neighborhood. Two buses were attacked with stones. One young person stated that the car was stolen and was burned at the site was abandoned. Cops from the 15th BPM (Duque de Caxias) were on the scene and dispersed the group. Residents reported that upon arriving on the scene, they discharged whoever was on the scene.

“We closed the highway to draw attention to the death of our friends, but nothing would be done,” said a 17 year old. “It’s a scandal the absence of PM of Parque Paulista. Here no vehicle passes by during the day. Merchants are assaulted and there have been several rape attempts”, denounced the young man. More than five hours after the crime, police Homicide Division of the Baixada Fluminense (DHBF) had not yet arrived at the scene to carry out investigations

Survivor of massacre in Rio says he escaped just because ammo ended

Criminals asked if the victims were drug dealers. Amnesty International repudiated violence against youth in the country.

Courtesy of G1

The 12 year old who survived the massacre on Monday (13) in Duque de Caxias in the Baixada Fluminense region told investigators from the Civil Police that he only escaped being murdered because the bullets of the criminals ran out, shortly after he was hit in the abdomen. Before that, they asked the six young men if they were drug dealers. The other five died.

In a statement, Amnesty International condemned the violence and noted that Brazil is one of the countries with the most murders in the world. “Amnesty International expresses its rejection of indiscriminate violence affecting young Brazilians, especially residents of favelas (slums) and suburbs,” says the text.

Homicide Division investigating whether massacre in Caxias, RJ, was done by death squads

Area of the deaths was already a target of drug trafficking and militia, deputy says.

By Guilherme Brito

The principal deputy of the Homicide Division of the Baixada Fluminense, Pedro Henrique Medina, said on Tuesday (14) that the main line of investigation of the massacre that occurred on Monday night (13) in Paulista Park in Duque de Caxias, is the action of death squads. Around 8:30pm, a gang of five masked criminals arrived by car and shot six young people who were 12 to 21 years. According to police, three died on the spot and another two after receiving treatment in the hospital. The only survivor was a 12-year old boy that remains hospitalized.

“We are still investigating the motive of the crime. It’s a difficult case, since the shooters wore ninja hoods. By the modus operandi all indications are that it was an action of a grupo de extermínio (death squad),” he explained.

According to the deputy, one of the youths killed by police had a record. Police from the Homicide Division say the reason for the arrest was robbery. For the deputy, this information doesn’t indicate a motive for the killings. “Despite the record, it is not yet possible to make a connection,” Medina said.

According to the deputy, police had conducted activities against trafficking and against militia groups earlier in the Parque Paulista. However, it is still premature to determine whether the attacks would have come from one of these groups.

Site of the massacre in the Parque Paulista neighborhood in Caxias

“We will still hear relatives a second time. A line of investigation of death squads can mean an order to clear the area, for example. There are actions like this that are placed in context of activities of militia or faction fights, but it’s still too early to tell,” he said.

The young of adult age were identified as Denis Alberto de Jesus and Paulo Sérgio, both 18. One of them, according to witnesses, was wearing a school uniform. According to local residents, the minors knew each other and were together in the street at the time of the crime, after a futebol match.

Residents of Paulista Park gathered at the corner of 36 and 22 streets, the location of crimes, with signs asking for peace and an end to violence in the region. They said the deaths were “cowardly.”

“They started shooting around 8:30 at night. It was cowardly; it could have been any one of us. They were children who were returning home after futebol,” said the sister of one of the victims, who declined to be identified.

Around 11am Tuesday, it was still possible to see a dirty sheet and plastic bags of blood at the site of executions. The Military Police was patrolling the region. For the population, the neighborhood suffers from a lack of policing and the rise of assaults. “I leave work in fear, bandits come armed and rob everyone at the bus stop,” reported another resident, who also chose to have their identity confidential.

Source: O Dia, G1, G1 (2)