The number of people detained for involvement in the case reaches 24, including 17 military police officers, five civil police officers and two people linked to the man identified as a crime scout, who remains at large
This Tuesday (21), a soldier was arrested on suspicion of being the second shooter in the murder of Antônio Vinícius Lopes Gritzbach, whistleblower of the Primeiro Comando da Capital (), which took place on November 8, 2024, in Greater São Paulo. Soldier Ruan Silva Rodrigues, from the 20th Metropolitan Military Police Battalion, was arrested at his residence, in the city of Cotia, and taken to the Romão Gomes Military Prison.
With this arrest, the number of people detained for involvement in the case reaches 24, including 17 military police officers, five civil police officers and two people linked to the man identified as the “scout” of the crime, who remains at large. The Task Force of the Public Security Secretariat, made up of the Department of Homicide and Personal Protection (DHPP) and the civil and military police internal affairs bodies, coordinates the investigations. The authorities believe they have identified all the perpetrators of the crime and are now concentrating their efforts on searching for the perpetrators.
The investigation revealed that the two agents identified as shooters, soldier Ruan Silva Rodrigues and corporal Denis Antônio Martins, as well as lieutenant Fernando Genauro, suspected of driving the vehicle used in the execution, were at the scene of the crime, according to the geolocation of their cell phones. Security camera footage recorded the moment of the attack, in which Gritzbach was hit by ten shots as he left the arrivals area of Terminal 2 at the airport.
Authorities consider the murder to be retaliation for Gritzbach’s plea bargain, in which he revealed corruption and money laundering schemes involving police officers and members of the PCC. The police are working on the hypothesis that the crime was ordered by members of the criminal faction, but have not yet identified the perpetrators. The Public Security Secretariat reinforced that “no misconduct will be tolerated” and that investigations are continuing to hold everyone involved accountable.
Published by Felipe Dantas
*Report produced with the help of AI
