‘Stolen car had closed windows’, says witness to teenager’s death from stray bullets during police chase | Pernambuco

Darik was an under-14 futsal athlete at Sport Club do Recife. He was rescued, but died at the Professor Arnaldo Marques Polyclinic and Maternity, in Ibura, South Zone of the city. According to the Military Police, the incident occurred during a pursuit of suspects of stealing a car.

The witness, who preferred not to identify himself, said that residents found bullet casings all over Rua Professora Arcelina Câmara, where Darik was shot. According to his family, he was talking to two colleagues when criminals and police arrived shooting in all directions.

“The police chase began after two stolen cars. They already entered my street, shooting. There are bullet casings from the beginning of the street. When I saw the chase, I saw the car already skidding its tire on the hill. The car that was running away. I saw that he had the window closed”, said the witness.

The police, however, claim that there was an exchange of gunfire with the suspects (see below).

Darik was hit in the leg and waist. Witnesses said there were two police vehicles in pursuit.

“I heard the sounds of gunshots and they started hitting my wall. I ran to open the grate and shouted for everyone to get in. Then I felt pieces of the wall hitting my leg. I pulled my friend too. As he was the last one to trying to get in, unfortunately, he took a while, I think he got scared, too. […] Moments later he fell back and shouted at me ‘I’ve been shot’,” he said.

Darik’s relatives and witnesses stated that, despite being called, the vehicles that passed by the scene did not provide assistance to the teenager. He was rescued by a third team.

“It was a [carro] which arrived after the fact, after a certain time. He had already lost a lot of blood. I think they called for reinforcements to look for another thief who was still at large. We managed to stop the vehicle to help the boy, who was still alive, breathing and conscious. We told him not to close his eyes,” said the witness.

Another person, who lives close to where the boy was shot, questioned why Darik was rescued in the trunk of the police car.

“The car reversed and helped the teenager in the trunk, which I think is absurd. It wasn’t an animal, no criminal. It was a teenager who was shot in a fatality caused by stray shots. There was no reason to go in the trunk. Where did the boy was shot until Policlínica Arnaldo Marques, there are 19 speed bumps. The boy was shot and left here with his torso, in a suitcase. It wouldn’t hurt to put the teenager in the front, which I think could have saved his life”, he stated .

According to the Military Police, on Saturday night (16), agents from the 6th Battalion were called to an incident of car theft. The vehicle was tracked in Jardim Jordão, in Jaboatão. The police went to the scene and spotted the vehicle, but the criminals began to escape when they realized the presence of the police.

The police then began to chase the car. “The monitoring culminated in a dead-end street in the Jordão neighborhood, in Recife, where the suspects collided with their vehicles, disembarked and began shooting at the police, who reacted,” the corporation stated.

Two men managed to escape and two others were detained. One of them was injured by a bullet and the other had bruises from the crash. They were taken to the Emergency Care Unit (UPA) in Imbiribeira, in the South Zone. The man who was shot was transferred to Hospital da Restauração, in the Center.

In the stolen car, police said they found two firearms, a 12-gauge and a 38-caliber revolver.

“The military police officers, complying with the established protocols, presented themselves at the Military Judiciary Police Station and the incident was forwarded to the Department of Homicide and Personal Protection”, says the note sent by the PM.

According to his family, Darik played at Sport Club do Recife since he was 7 years old. Relatives said his dream was to become a football player and help his family.

Sport’s Olympic and amateur sports profile published a note of condolence on social media, saying it regrets the boy’s untimely death and “wishes strength to his friends and family at this very sad time.”