PC inspector who shot teenager received commendation and was promoted

The incident occurred in 2018, when Luís Robalo shot a 14-year-old teenager after a chase. The inspector has since been promoted to chief inspector.

The trial of the Judiciary Police (PJ) inspector Luis Robaloaccused of harming physical integrity for having shot at a 14 year old teenager in Odivelas, started at the beginning of this year at the Court of Loures. The case dates back to the night of May 28, 2018when Ivan Santos was shot during a chase led by the agent.

According to the complaint from the Public Ministry (MP), the young man was returning from a football match in Pontinha accompanied by five friends and was heading to a pizzeria in Urbanização Colinas do Cruzeiro, in Odivelas. Along the way, Ivan you heard a dog whining and decided to climb onto an electricity box to take a look inside a nearby terrace.

There was Luís Robalo’s wife, who was hanging out clothes. Startled when she saw the teenager’s head appear over the house’s fence, she screamed for help. The PJ inspector immediately appeared and shouted at the young people, who fled the scene. According to the complaint, Luís Robalo went to the car, collected his service weapon and began a pursuit of the groupfiring several shots. One of the shots hit Ivan Santos, according to .

Despite the seriousness of the incident and the ongoing legal process, Luís Robalo continued his career in the Judiciary Police. In June 2024 received an official commendation for services provided between 2018 and 2020. The document, dated June 21 of that year, highlights his decisive contribution to the investigation and collection of evidence in several complex and violent property crimes, namely firearm robberies.

A few months earlier, in April 2024, the inspector was promoted to the category of chief inspector, while awaiting the outcome of the process related to the Odivelas shooting.

In the first session of the trial, held at the end of January, Luís Robalo admitted to having fired the shots that affected the then teenager. Before the court, the inspector apologized to the victim, acknowledging his responsibility for the events of that night.

The process now continues at the Loures Court, where the circumstances of the agent’s actions and the consequences of the shooting will be analyzed.