The corporation said it joined the case due to the “institution’s airport police function”
The (Federal Police) announced on Saturday night (November 9, 2024) the opening of an investigation to investigate the murder at São Paulo International Airport, in Guarulhos.
In a note, the corporation said that it joined the case due to the “the institution’s airport police function”. Read the Federal Police statement (PDF – 239 kB).
The PF’s entry does not mean that the case has been federalized. To do this, a request from the Attorney General’s Office is required, which can be requested by the Chamber or the Ministry of Justice and Public Security.
Then, the (Superior Court of Justice) assesses whether it will federalize the case or not.
Read below what is known about the execution at Guarulhos Airport.
Who was the executed businessman?
Antônio Vinicius Lopes Gritzbach was a real estate agent and businessman. He would have been sworn to death by the criminal faction PCC (Primeiro Comando da Capital) after closing a plea deal with the São Paulo Public Ministry in March 2024. He was a defendant in a money laundering case.
Gritzbach would have committed to sharing information regarding the PCC’s money laundering scheme. During a meeting with prosecutors, he said he could show where the faction’s money came from, but that he needed more security: “Are you talking to undead here.”
In the images above you can see Gritzbach walking and then running from the shooters
For Ivelton Salotto, who acted as the businessman’s lawyer, the accusation was his “”. According to the MP-SP, he refused the security offered. Gritzbach as personal escort. They are:
- Adolfo Oliveira, 34 years old;
- Jefferson Silva Marques de Souza, 29 years old;
- Leandro Ortiz, 39 years old;
- Romarks César Ferreira de Lima, 35 years old.
The SSP-SP (São Paulo Public Security Secretariat) reported that the 4 gave statements and were removed from their activities during the investigations. Their cell phones were seized.
Injured in the attack
The shots left 2 injured:
- Samara Lima de Oliveira, 28 years old;
- Willian Sousa Santos, 39 years old.
App driver Celso Araújo Sampaio de Morais, 41, died.
None of the 3 knew the murdered businessman.
What is known about the shooters
Authorities have not yet identified the shooters. The car used in the crime was found abandoned in the Vila Nossa Senhora de Fátima neighborhood, in Guarulhos. Inside the vehicle there were rifle ammunition and a bulletproof vest.
The Military Police also located a rifle, a pistol and magazines inside a backpack in the same neighborhood after an anonymous tip. The material will undergo forensic examination, but the governor of São Paulo, (Republicans), declared that the weapons were used in the attack on Friday (Nov 8).
Reaction from authorities
- Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicans), from São Paulo – said that the circumstances of the crime will be “”;
- Ronaldo Caiado (União Brasil), from Goiás – criticized the federal government for the fact that the airport is an area under federal jurisdiction and stated that it is a “” for President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) to give a “response tough on factions”;
- Sergio Moro (União Brasil-PR), – declared that he will present a request to summon the Minister of Justice, Ricardo Lewandowski;
- Hoffmann’s blues (PT-PR), and president of the PT – that the crime shows the “urgency” of action against organized crime and cited that of the Lula government.
