Civil Police investigate relationship between deaths of suspects and buses set on fire on the coast of SP | Santos and Region

The Civil Police of Baixada Santista, on the coast of São Paulo, is investigating whether the deaths recorded in São Vicente and Guarujá and the arson attacks on buses in Santos are related. This is because the five incidents took place in a short space of time, in nearby cities.

In less than 48 hours, four suspects involved in the crime died: Cristiano Lopes Costa (murdered in Guarujá), Jeferson Roberto Romano, Carlos Alberto De Castro Junior and Luan Batista Messias De Souza (in clashes with PM in São Vicente). The last three entered the Operation Summer statistics, which totals 43 deaths in Baixada Santista.

Hours earlier, Carlos, 41, and Luan, 32, had been killed in a confrontation with police officers who were investigating a drug trafficking spot on the border between Santos and São Vicente. They were known as ‘Zóio’ and ‘Boy’, respectively.

The São Paulo Interior Judicial Police Department (Deinter-6), in Santos, reported that it is investigating the burned buses and one of the lines taken into consideration is the relationship between the cases and the death of suspects. However, Deinter highlighted that this “is not the only line of investigation”.

In a statement, the São Paulo Public Security Secretariat (SSP-SP) informed that all crimes are investigated by the Civil Police. “But, for now, there is no confirmation of a link between the cases.”

The 3rd phase of Operation Verão remains ongoing for an indefinite period of time. Have already been registered 43 suspect deaths (see table below).

Suspect deaths

The São Paulo Police Ombudsman’s Office and public security and human rights protection entities also delivered to the State Attorney General’s Office a report with irregularities in the police approaches during Operation Verão in Baixada Santista.

In addition to the complaints, the document contains a series of recommendations to public bodies to cease human rights violations committed by the police.

This Saturday morning (9), a demonstration in favor of Operation Summer brought together residents, representatives of associations, military police and state deputies, who are part of the so-called ‘Bancada da Bala’. The event took place at Praça das Bandeiras, on the edge of Gonzaga beach, in Santos.

On January 26, military police officer Marcelo Augusto da Silva was killed on the Imigrantes highway, near Cubatão. He was shot while returning home on his motorcycle. A large amount of ammunition was scattered on the highway. Marcelo’s weapons, however, were not found.

According to the Civil Police, Marcelo was shot once in the head and twice in the abdomen. He was part of the 38th Metropolitan Military Police Battalion (BPM/M) in São Paulo, but was part of the reinforcement of Operation Verão in Praia Grande (SP).

On February 2, Rondas Ostensivas police officer Tobias de Aguiar (Rota) Samuel Wesley Cosmo died during routine patrolling in Praça José Lamacchia. The agent was taken to Santa Casa de Santos (SP), but died in the unit.

A body camera recording obtained by the g1 shows the moment the Rota soldier was shot in the face while on patrol in the Bom Retiro neighborhood (watch at the top of the report).

Five days later, Corporal PM José Silveira dos Santos, from the 2⁰ Special Police Actions Battalion (BAEP), died after being shot while patrolling in the Jardim São Manoel neighborhood, in Santos. At the time, another military police officer was shot and hospitalized – he was medically discharged on the 21st.