On February 21, 2023, a mass shooting occurred at a bar in Sinop, Mato Grosso, Brazil. After losing R$20,000 (US$3,710.58) in a pool game, suspects Ezequias Souza Ribeiro and Edgar Ricardo de Oliveira returned with firearms and shot and killed seven people, including one child. The two shooters then fled the scene. Ribeiro was killed in a shootout with police the following day, while Oliveira surrendered to police on February 23.
| Sinop massacre | |
|---|---|
  Sinop Sinop (Brazil) | |
| Location | Sinop, Mato Grosso, Brazil |
| Date | 21 February 2023 |
Attack type | Mass shooting, massacre, armed robbery |
| Weapons | |
| Deaths | 8 (including a perpetrator) |
| Perpetrators | Ezequias Souza Ribeiro Edgar Ricardo de Oliveira |
| Motive | Anger over loss at pool game |
Shooting
editOn February 21, 2023, a Carnival day, 27-year-old Ezequias Souza Ribeiro and 30-year-old Edgar Ricardo de Oliveira lost around R$20,000 (US$3,710.58) in pool game bets to Getúlio Rodrigues Frazão at the Bruno Snooker Bar, a drinking establishment in the Lisboa neighborhood of Sinop.[1][2][3] After being mocked by those present, the two left, returning shortly afterward in a white truck and carrying a 12-gauge shotgun and a .380-caliber pistol.[2] They ordered the people present at the scene to line up against a wall and shot them to death.[2] Before leaving, the two shooters took the money they had lost in the game.[4]
Seven people were killed, including Frazão and his 12-year-old daughter.[2] Six victims were pronounced dead at the scene, while a seventh died shortly after.[2]
Victims
editThe seven victims of the Sinop massacre (six men and a pre-teen girl) are:[5]
- Getúlio Rodrigues Frasão Júnior, 36 years old
- Larissa Frasao de Almeida, 12 years old (daughter of Getúlio Rodrigues Frasão Júnior)
- Orisberto Pereira Sousa, 38 years old
- Adriano Balbinote, 46 years old
- Josué Ramos Tenório, 48 years old
- Maciel Bruno de Andrade Costa, 35 years old (he owned the bar where the massacre took place)
- Elizeu Santos da Silva – 47 years old (he was rescued alive, but died in the hospital)
Investigation
editPolice were called after the shooting and identified the perpetrators through security camera footage.[6]
On February 22, a task force assembled to capture the perpetrators found the weapons and ammunition used in the shootings inside the truck driven by the perpetrators.[7] The Military Police of the State of Mato Grosso said that a 12-gauge shotgun and ammunition for multiple calibers were found.[7]
Police determined that both perpetrators had criminal records.[8] Ribeiro had been convicted of carrying an illegal weapon, robbery, conspiracy, bodily harm, and for threats; he also had an active arrest warrant at the time of the shooting.[8] Oliveira, who was a gun collector and sport shooter, had been arrested for domestic violence.[8] The Mato Grosso Shooting Federation confirmed that Oliveira was a member of a gun club in Sinop, but was expelled from the group due to frequent absences.[9]
Manhunt
editOn February 22, Ribeiro was killed in a confrontation with the Military Police in a wooded area near the Presidente João Figueiredo Airport, 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) from Sinop.[10] He was transported to a hospital, but died of his wounds.[10] The following morning, Oliveira surrendered after a negotiation brokered by his lawyer.[11] He was arrested in a house in the Jardim California neighborhood.[11] As of February 24, Oliveira was in custody.[12]
Reactions
editBrazilian politicians condemned the attack.[13] Flávio Dino, Minister of Justice and Public Security, blamed the shooting on an "irresponsible arms policy that led to the proliferation of shooting clubs, supposedly aimed at good people".[13] National President of the Workers' Party Gleisi Hoffmann compared former president Jair Bolsonaro to a "guru of hate" and said that his pro-gun policies "stimulated intolerance and the arming of the population".[13] New Party politician João Amoêdo stated that the attack was "an example of irresponsibility in defining public policies and encouraging a culture of hate by the former president".[13]
Sergio Moro, a Bolsonaro ally, stated that "[the perpetrators] must be hunted down, arrested, convicted and abandoned in prison for the rest of their lives".[14] Moro was criticized for this statement, as he had signed a 2019 decree that made citizens' access to firearms more flexible.[14]
References
edit- ^ Jácomo, Ana Adélia (February 22, 2023). "Polícia identifica autores de chacina em Sinop (MT); dupla atirou por perder jogo de sinuca" [Police identify perpetrators of slaughter in Sinop (MT); opened fire for losing pool game]. G1 (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on March 20, 2023. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e "O que se sabe sobre chacina após jogo de sinuca em Sinop (MT)" [What is known about slaughter after a pool game in Sinop (MT)]. CNN Brasil (in Brazilian Portuguese). February 23, 2023. Archived from the original on March 24, 2023. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
- ^ "Chacina em sinuca: bar funcionava havia dez anos e reunia aficionados" [Snooker slaughter: the bar had been in operation for ten years and brought together aficionados]. Notícias R7 (in Brazilian Portuguese). February 24, 2023. Archived from the original on April 7, 2023. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
- ^ "Sobrevivente de chacina em Sinop viu filha de 12 anos e o marido morrerem" [Slaughter survivor in Sinop saw 12-year-old daughter and husband die]. RD News. February 22, 2023. Archived from the original on April 5, 2023. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
- ^ "Veja quem são as sete vítimas de chacina em Sinop (MT)". G1 (Mato Grosso) (in Brazilian Portuguese). February 22, 2023. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
- ^ "Sobe para sete o número de vítimas da chacina em bar de Mato Grosso" [The number of victims of the massacre in a bar in Mato Grosso rises to seven]. Metrópoles (in Brazilian Portuguese). February 22, 2023. Archived from the original on April 19, 2023. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
- ^ a b Marcello, Maria Carolina (February 23, 2023). "Polícia de Mato Grosso apreende caminhonete, armas e munições usadas em chacina" [Mato Grosso police seize truck, weapons and ammunition used in slaughter]. CNN Brasil (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on March 19, 2023. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
- ^ a b c Nolasco, Gustavo (February 22, 2023). "Atiradores de chacina em MT têm passagens por roubo, porte ilegal de arma e violência doméstica" [Shooters in MT have arrests for theft, illegal possession of a weapon and domestic violence]. G1 (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on March 19, 2023. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
- ^ "Federação de Tiro de MT diz que autor de chacina foi desfiliado por faltas" [MT Shooting Federation says mass murderer was disaffiliated for absences]. G1 (in Brazilian Portuguese). February 22, 2023. Archived from the original on April 4, 2023. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
- ^ a b "Autor de chacina morre durante confronto com a polícia de Mato Grosso" [Killer dies during clash with Mato Grosso police]. CNN Brasil (in Brazilian Portuguese). February 22, 2023. Archived from the original on April 5, 2023. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
- ^ a b "Chacina em MT: assassino se entrega e diz que ideia era "poupar vidas"" [Slaughter in MT: killer surrenders and says the idea was to "save lives"]. Metrópoles (in Brazilian Portuguese). February 23, 2023. Archived from the original on February 24, 2023. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
- ^ "Justiça mantém prisão temporária de assassino de chacina em MT e determina transferência para PCE" [Justice maintains temporary arrest of slaughter killer in MT and determines transfer to PCE]. G1 (in Brazilian Portuguese). February 24, 2023. Archived from the original on April 13, 2023. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
- ^ a b c d "Chacina em Sinop: Base e oposição ao governo Lula repudiam e se dividem sobre acesso a armas e CACs" [Slaughter in Sinop: Base and opposition to the Lula government repudiate and are divided over access to weapons and CACs]. Estadao (in Brazilian Portuguese). February 23, 2023. Archived from the original on February 25, 2023. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
- ^ a b "Moro dá um tiro no pé ao pedir prisão perpétua para suspeitos de chacina" [Moro shoots himself in the foot when asking for life imprisonment for massacre suspects]. Veja (in Brazilian Portuguese). February 23, 2023. Archived from the original on February 27, 2023. Retrieved April 5, 2023.