Vinícius Lopes Gritzbach had reached a plea agreement with the MPSP in March 2024; he would have reported police officers for extortion
The PM Internal Affairs (Military Police) arrested a police officer suspected of being the 2nd shooter in the murder of whistleblower Vinícius Lopes Gritzbach. It was executed at São Paulo International Airport, in Guarulhos, on November 8, 2024.
According to the SSP-SP (São Paulo Public Security Secretariat), the arrest was made on Tuesday (21 January 2025), at the headquarters of the 20th Metropolitan Military Police Battalion, in Barueri. The suspect would be taken to the Romão Gomes Military Prison, in the Metropolitan Region.
With the new arrest, the number of people detained for involvement in the case reaches 26, namely: 17 PMs, 5 civil police officers and another 4 people related to the man appointed as a crime scout, who is on the run.
The case is investigated by a Task Force, which includes the DHPP (Department of Homicide and Personal Protection) and the internal affairs bodies of the civil and military police.
PMs arrested
Last Thursday (January 16), the Internal Affairs Department had already arrested the first military police officer identified as one of the perpetrators of the shooting at Gritzbach. Images from airport security cameras show 2 shooters getting out of the car and firing shots.
In the same operation, another 14 police officers were arrested on suspicion of involvement with organized crime and for providing illegal security services to the whistleblower.
On the same date, the girlfriend of the man appointed as a crime scout was arrested by the DHPP, using a warrant obtained in an investigation into drug trafficking. According to the investigation, the 28-year-old woman was responsible for selling drugs in the possession of her boyfriend, Kauê do Amaral Coelho, who has an arrest warrant issued and is on the run.
The following day (January 17), another person involved was arrested. The 22-year-old man is being investigated for having a relationship with Kauê and for being associated with drug trafficking. In another DHPP action, a PM lieutenant was arrested on Saturday (18 January). The police officer would be the driver of the vehicle used to carry out the crime, a black Gol, which carried the 2 military police officers identified by the investigation as those responsible for the shooting.
Mandator
The director of the DHPP, delegate Ivalda Aleixo, reported last week that the police have 2 lines “quite advanced” investigation to identify the person who ordered Gritzbach’s execution. Both point to members of the PCC.
Vinícius Lopes Gritzbach, accused of money laundering and having ordered the murder of two people from the PCC, made a plea agreement with the MPSP (Public Ministry of the State of São Paulo) in March 2024. According to the prosecution, in collaboration to mitigate the sorry, the defendant cited public agents.
The content of the complaint is confidential, but, in October last year, the MP sent excerpts of the document to the Civil Police Internal Affairs Office, in which the whistleblower accuses civil police officers of extortion. On October 31, he was interviewed at the Internal Affairs Department, 8 days before he was killed. Gritzbach also reported a money laundering scheme used by the PCC.
With information from .
