Police investigate why Choque PM pointed gun at app driver and was killed by colleague

A Civil police and the Military police in São Paulo investigate the death of an off-duty military police officer who was shot by another police officer during a patrol action in Vila Andradesouth zone of São Paulo, on the night of Friday, 29.

Corporal Rahoney de Paula Vieira, 31, approached a car because, according to the Civil Police, they suspected the attitude of the man behind the wheel of the vehicle. The app driver was driving around the neighborhood constantly, with no clear direction.

As a result, Vieira decided to point his gun at the car’s occupants. At that moment, he was hit by another agent, who thought it was a robbery.

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The case is investigated by the Department of Homicide and Personal Protection (DHPP), which is investigating the reasons why Vieira approached the vehicle with a weapon, and what was the procedure adopted by the police officers who were on duty.

See what is known about the case:

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What happened before the PM corporal was killed?

Although he was without his military uniform and, apparently, off duty, PM Vieira, from the 4th Shock Battalion, approached a vehicle stopped on Rua Maria José da Conceição and pointed a gun at the car’s occupants. A team from the 16th Battalion of The police officer who was patrolling the area found the scene strange and, thinking it was a robbery, intervened.. One of the agents shot him.

Why did Rahoney point a gun at a car?

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The investigations are still investigating why Vieira pointed a gun at a vehicle. The main hypothesis, for now, is that the plainclothes police officer was riding a motorcycle down the street, when he suspected the behavior of a driver, who was circulating through the neighborhood and passing through the same street more than once.

In a statement to the police, the driver of the car said that he works as an app driver and that he was driving around the region because he would be lost. And he stated that, at the time he was approached by Vieira, the plainclothes police officer was wearing a helmet and that he did not identify himself as a police officer.

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How were the police officers on patrol approached?

One of the police officers who was on patrol fired six times at the plainclothes police officer, according to the report. Estadão in the 3rd DP of the Homicide Police Station, which is investigating the case. The investigations also intend to elucidate how the agents on duty behaved and find out how Vieira was approached before the shooting. The PMs wore body cameras; these records were requested by the Civil Police.

When did the police realize it was another police officer?

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After Vieira fell to the ground, the police officers on duty approached, removed his helmet and, realizing that he was a colleague, tried to revive him without success. The report found that one of the agents had already worked with Vieira, which would have helped with recognition.

Images taken by residents show the moment when one of the police officers puts both hands to his head, in despair. They even took their colleague to the emergency room at Albert Einstein Hospital, also in the south zone, but he did not survive his injuries.

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The deceased PM corporal was part of the group called Special Commands and Operations (COE) of the police. He joined the Military Police in November 2024. Vieira had been married since 2021 and had a son.

Is the case being investigated?

The São Paulo Public Security Secretariat (SSP) stated that the facts relating to the case are still being investigated by the Military Police, through a police-military investigation (IPM) and by the Department of Homicide and Personal Protection (DHPP), where it is located. the Homicide Division.

The Civil Police say they will ask for images from body cameras from the police officers’ uniforms, listen to witnesses – the driver of the car was interviewed this Monday, 1st – and see recordings from monitoring cameras at the scene of the crime. They will also investigate whether the police officers on patrol followed the standard operational procedure of the Military Police.

“To date, the officer involved has not been removed. The Civil Police awaits the results of the reports, which are being prepared for analysis and will hear witnesses to clarify all the circumstances of the case”, said the SSP this Monday, 1st.