Police brutality is something which we see in the news all of the time.
However, we do not hear too much about police brutality in Brazil – being one of the worlds most dangerous countries, police are responsible for over 2,000 deaths every year.
This video backs up such claims. The short clip shows a young man, known as 18-year-old Daniel Da Silva, who had reportedly stolen a car, put his hands behind his head to surrender before being executed in cold blood by police officers.
According to the Daily Mail, police argued that Da Silva had reached for a gun, however, despite the footage being blurry, the 18-year-old doesn’t appear to move an inch.
A member of Daniel’s family, who asked not to be named out of fear, stated that they were told their relative had been killed in a fire-fight, before adding that they were ‘really shocked’ when they saw the video.
The incident, which took place in Annapolis, close to the city of Goiania, has been condemned by many and the officers involved have since been questioned by investigators, although Police chief Lobo de Araujo has backed up claims that Da Silva reached for a weapon.
He said:
The officers claim that when they tried to arrest the youngster, they spoke with him and asked him to drop his weapon which was inside his trouser belt.
They say one of the officers shot at him when he went to lower his hand rapidly.
But this killing highlights just one in a country rife with gang violence and petty crime.
Just last year a police officer fired 11 shots at an innocent 22-year-old girl because he thought she was in a stolen vehicle. She died on the way to the hospital.
