Three policemen in Brazil were sentenced in the case of suffocation with tear gas Crime News

The three officers were convicted of the death of Genivaldo de Jesus Santos, a black man who died in police custody.

Three former members of the Federal Highway Police in Brazil have been sentenced to long prison terms for the torture and death of a black man who was kept in the boot of their car.

On Saturday, Justice Rafael Soares, judge of the 7th Federal Court in the state of Brazil, Sergipe, gave one of the officials, Paulo Rodolpho Nascimento, 28 years in prison for brutal murder.

Two of his accomplices, William Noia and Kleber Freitas, received 23 years each in prison for torture resulting in death.

The sentence was the culmination of a trial that began in May 2022, with the arrest of Genivaldo de Jesus Santos, 38.

The three policemen pulled Santos over for riding his motorcycle without a helmet, near the town of Umbauba in Sergipe.

An onlooker captured a video of the encounter that later went viral. Santos appeared to be unable to resist as three policemen dragged him to the ground and restrained his arms and legs.

The police, however, described Santos as “resolutely refusing”.

Local media reported that Santos was suffering from schizophrenia and was heard shouting explaining that he was taking medication. But the police lifted Santos into the boot of their SUV.

The video captured the police when they lowered the boot door and closed it when clouds of white smoke came out of the car. Santos screamed, his legs could be seen kicking. The witness shouted, “They will kill him!”

Rodolpho is accused of throwing tear gas into the boot and helping to hold the door. He received a very high sentence.

Meanwhile, prosecutors said Freitas used pepper spray five times against Santos, while Noia took part in closing the boot door when tear gas was released.

An autopsy later showed that Santos died of asphyxiation. The three officers were fired from the Federal Highway Police.

During their 12-day trial, the court heard from experts who described the last moments of Santos, who spent more than 11 minutes holding himself in an enclosure surrounded by poisonous gas.

Tear gas contains chemicals that can be dangerous, especially when used in large doses or over a long period of time.

All three officers were convicted. Santos’ sister, Laura de Jesus Santos, welcomed the outcome of Saturday’s sentencing hearing.

“It was a satisfactory result, although we are not at all happy with anyone’s misfortune. It calms us down, but it doesn’t bring happiness,” he told G1 media.

Earlier this year, the United Nations released a report on police violence in Brazil. It found that more than 6,000 people have been killed annually while cooperating with law enforcement in Brazil in the past six years. In 2023, the number was 6,393.

That is a significant increase over the previous year’s total. In 2013, for example, 2,212 people were killed by the police.

Black people were equally represented within the population. People of African descent represent about 83 percent of the cases, making them three times more likely to be killed by Brazilian police.