Bus Driver Arrested After Intentionally Running Over & Killing Firefighter!

Police officers from the 12th DP (Copacabana) served a 30-day temporary arrest warrant against bus driver Valdir das Mercês Junior for the crime of intentional homicide (with intent to kill).

According to district investigations, he purposely ran over, dragged and killed firefighter Gilson Castro Silva, 58, on Avenida Nossa Senhora de Copacabana, in the South Zone of Rio, early this Sunday, so that he would get out of the way of the vehicle.

According to delegate Sandro Caldeira, assistant to the 12th DP, the case was initially registered as manslaughter (with no intention of killing). At the police station, Valdir said that the victim was drunk and he was unable to brake in time to avoid the accident. Images from security cameras and testimonies given by witnesses, however, point to another dynamic of the crime.

“In less than 24 hours, we were able to gather robust evidence that shows the opposite of what was narrated by the bus driver in his hearing: the videos and witnesses confirm that there was a clear intention of the driver to run over the victim, with the aim of getting him out from the front of the vehicle, even dragging it for a few meters”

At the judicial duty, delegate André Leiras, head of the 12th DP, represented the temporary arrest of the driver, which was granted. This afternoon, he was taken to the police station and will be taken to the José Frederico Marques Public Prison, in Benfica, where he will have to undergo a custody hearing.

Watch video below.