By Foday Manneh
According to Brazilian media, Folha Press, the São Paulo Police Ombudsman’s Office has asked the Civil Police and PM’s Internal Affairs Office to investigate the conduct of military officers involved in the killing of Gambian immigrant Bubacarr Dukureh in Brazil.
The incident occurred on the 15th of September 2022, where Bubacarr was shot and killed by Police Officers in Jardim Paulista, West of São Paulo, Brazil.
Bubacarr’s Brazilian wife, Cook Fernanda Almeida, 34, told Folha that her husband was mentally imbalanced before his killing.
“He was not psychologically well after losing his job as kitchen assistant about a year ago,” Almeida said.
“During the pandemic, a lot of people freaked out, a lot of people went into depression, and he was one of those people.” She added.
The Police Officer who participated in the killing of the young Gambian man said that they were patrolling the region when they saw Bubacarr and approached him.
“We approach him, and he resisted and tried to attack one of us, then Private Luis Miller Mazotti dos Santos, 30, shot him once.” The Officer confessed.
The Fire and Rescue Department later took Dukureh to Santa Casa, but he could not survive and died, according to reports.
Following an investigation in the case by the Department of Homicide and Protection of the Person, all witnesses have testified pending the ruling from the PM’s Lawyer, João Carlos, who is still studying the records to be able to make any judgment.
However, the Police did not find any camera footage in the region to show the scene, despite that being demanded by the victim’s wife.
Meanwhile, the Center for Human Rights and Immigrant Citizenship said they will support Dukureh’s wife to ensure justice and accountability in the death of her husband.
Ebrima Dukureh arrived in Brazil in 2014 and married Cook Fernanda Almeida three years later. They had a son, who is now 3 years old.
