Child and teenager are killed in a raid by the São Paulo Military Police

Conectas Human Rights expresses its repudiation of the police raid carried out in Morro de São Bento, in the Baixada Santista region, on the night of last Tuesday (5), which resulted in the death of Ryan da Silva Andrade Santos, just 4 years old, and Gregory Ribeiro Vasconcelos, 17 years old. Two other people also suffered gunshots.

Ryan da Silva is the son of Leonel Andrade Santos, one of the 84 victims of the Escudo and Verão raids, also carried out in the Baixada Santista region, between July 2023 and April 2024. Leonel had a disabled leg and used crutches to move; regardless, the police officers involved in the incident claimed that he was armed and had fired shots. 

We highlight the fact that the military police officers involved in the raid that ended the lives of Ryan and Gregory were not wearing body cameras. The use and regulation of cameras attached to police uniforms are measures that contribute to reducing abuses perpetrated by public security agents during raids. Cameras are proven to be effective in reducing deaths, both among civilians and public security officers. With the use of body cameras in São Paulo, police lethality fell by 62.7%, going from 697 deaths in 2019 to 260 in 2022, according to research by the Brazilian Public Security Forum (FBSP, acronym in Brazilian Portuguese).

Also according to the FBSP and UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund), during the years 2021 and 2023, among the 15,101 intentional violent deaths recorded in three years, 2,427 were caused by the action of state security forces (16% of the total), constituting the second most frequent cause of violent deaths among adolescents.

In addition to the inefficiency that puts the lives of officers and civilians at risk, the public security policy applied in the state of São Paulo, characterized by the increase and appreciation of police lethality, demonstrates an action based on racism and institutional violence against black people and dwellers of the outskirts.

Conectas stands in solidarity with the victims’ families and hopes that there will be an impartial and independent investigation by the Public Prosecutor’s Office of the State of São Paulo, the police internal affairs department and, in particular, the authorities of the State Government of São Paulo. Furthermore, we will continue to work to ensure that families receive proper reparations, including institutional support for the needs arising from these violations.