Blog of journalist killed in Maranhão will be part of the investigation.
Dcio S, author of denunciations against public and political sectors, was known as one of the most outspoken and critical bloggers against the state government; he was murdered in São Luís last night.
247, with Agência Brasil - The Maranhão police will use the information published on Décio's Blog to investigate the death of journalist Décio Sá, on the night of Monday the 23rd, in a restaurant in São Luís. According to information from the state government, the crime has characteristics of an execution and the blog, which contains investigative reports, is considered by the police to be an important clue in the investigation.
Journalist Décio Sá was murdered in a restaurant on Avenida Litorânea, in the capital of Maranhão. The crime occurred around 23:30 PM. Besides his blog, Décio Sá was a reporter for the political section of O Estado do Maranhão, a newspaper owned by the family of the Senate president, José Sarney.
On Tuesday morning, the Chief of Police of Maranhão, Maria Cristina Resende Menezes, met with the detectives who will investigate the case and with the Secretary of Public Security, Aluísio Mendes, to discuss the matter. The objective is to finalize the details of a task force, involving all investigative bodies in the state, to investigate the crime.
"It was a very audacious crime. It was a contract killing. The people who entered the bar came with the intention of executing the journalist Décio Sá. Witnesses said that the shooter didn't even try to hide his face," said the Secretary of Public Security, Aluísio Mendes.
The government of Maranhão lamented the assassination and classified the crime as a "barbaric and cruel act." In a statement, the government said it is taking all necessary steps to identify the mastermind behind the crime.
"The state government regrets what happened and condemns the barbaric and cruel act, having taken all necessary measures for the arrest of the murderers. Experts from the Institute of Forensic Medicine (IML) are at the scene. Men from the Superintendency of Criminal Investigations and the Homicide Division have already begun investigations to arrest the criminals."
The State Secretariat of Public Security also informed, in the statement, that the journalist was killed by shots fired at point-blank range and that he was alone at the time of the crime. "Two men allegedly arrived on a motorcycle, one of whom entered the establishment and went to the bathroom. Upon returning, he fired six shots at the journalist from behind, four in the head and two in the chest area. Décio Sá died instantly," the statement said.
The blog maintained by Décio has been online since 2006 and is one of the most accessed in the state. Its publications gained prominence for featuring investigative journalism reports, including denunciations against politicians and groups of gunmen operating in the region. On his Twitter profile, Décio had almost 2 followers, and his death quickly resonated throughout the network.