Young black man killed by police officer while running to catch a bus is a victim of error and racism, widow denounces.

247 - The death of young black man Guilherme Dias Santos Ferreira, 26, continues to generate outrage and questions in São Paulo. On Friday night (4), the young man was shot in the head by a military police officer when he was returning from work and running to catch the bus, on the Ecotourism Road of Parelheiros, in the South Zone of the São Paulo capital. The information is from G1.

According to the victim's widow, Sthephanie dos Santos Ferreira Dias, the murder happened "in cold blood," and the police officer shot the young man in the back, motivated by racial prejudice.Just because he's a young Black man, running to catch the bus, [he] shot him. What is this? What kind of world is this? He was the only young Black man in the middle [of the bus stop] and he was hit. We want this police officer in jail, he has to pay. He's free, he paid bail which, for him, is nothing.“Sthephanie lamented.

The shooter, military police officer Fábio Anderson Pereira de Almeida, was arrested on the night of the crime but released after paying bail of R$ 5.600. He is facing charges of manslaughter while free on bail.

Dead after work.

Guilherme had been working as a carpenter, making beds and chests, for almost three years. It was his second day back at work after returning from vacation, and according to his family, he made the trip where he was killed every day.

Shortly before the crime, at 22:38 PM, he sent a message to his wife informing her that he was leaving.It was 10 PM and I fell asleep, and then suddenly woke up at 2 AM. I checked my WhatsApp and there was a message from him: 'I'm leaving' at 10:38 PM. It was 2:30 AM and he hadn't arrived. He was never one to come home late, he always arrived on time. If anything happened, he would let me know.“Sthephanie recounted.

Guilherme's body was found in the street by his brother-in-law.He was lying there, we couldn't get close to his body. The body remained there until about 7 am. People were saying he was a criminal, and people were examining the scene, without understanding what had happened.“The widow reported.

"A man of God"

For his family, Guilherme leaves behind the legacy of being a hardworking, religious man dedicated to his family.He never got involved in anything; it was just work to home, home to church, and church back to work. It was always like that, he was either at his parents' house or at home. He's not what people are saying.“Sthephanie stated.

The couple had been together for almost two years and were making plans for the future, such as renovating their house, traveling, and having children.His dream was to be a father. We were undergoing treatment to be able to have a child."She said, emotionally.

The police version

The police officer responsible for the shooting claimed that he was riding his motorcycle when he was approached by armed suspects, reacted to the alleged attempted robbery, and, during the confusion, shot Guilherme, believing him to be one of the criminals.

A 26-year-old woman who was passing by was also shot, but received medical attention. Her condition was not reported.

Witnesses and coworkers of Guilherme presented evidence confirming that the young man had just left work at the time of the incident. He clocked in at 22:28 PM, and the crime occurred around 22:35 PM. Shortly before, Guilherme himself posted a photo of the time clock showing his departure time on his WhatsApp status.

The Civil Police updated the police report and, given the evidence presented, officially began treating Guilherme as a "victim" and no longer as a suspect.

Error of perception or bias?

According to the report, the police officer may have made a "perception error," firing by mistake, which would rule out the possibility of self-defense and classify the case as manslaughter. The weapon used—a .40 caliber Glock pistol belonging to the Military Police—was seized and will be examined.

The Homicide and Personal Protection Department (DHPP) is conducting the investigations, with support from forensic experts who will analyze the ammunition casings and other evidence.

Outrage and demands for justice

On social media, the case has generated outrage and protests against structural racism and police lethality. The family demands that the police officer be held accountable and preventively detained. The São Paulo Public Security Secretariat stated in a note that it is monitoring the case and that the police officer will face trial while free, as provided for by Brazilian law.

For Stephanie, what happened to her husband reflects the racism that permeates Brazilian society.He was just a young black man running to catch the bus. That was all it took for him to be murdered."The widow lamented."