São Paulo police absolved without jury in Escudo, Verão killings

Eight of the 16 police officers charged over the 2023‑2024 Escudo and Verão operations in the Baixada Santista have been granted summary acquittals by São Paulo courts, meaning they will not face a jury trial. Four of the seven homicide‑doloso cases were dismissed outright and a fifth was reclassified as culpable homicide, to be tried by a judge rather than a jury.

The operations, the deadliest in the state’s modern history with an official toll of 84 people killed, have drawn accusations that officers shot unarmed civilians, altered crime scenes and mishandled body‑camera footage. Only one case – the July 2023 killing of Rogério Andrade de Jesus in Guarujá – proceeded to a jury trial after body‑camera video showed police planting a weapon and a bullet‑proof vest at the scene. Two other investigations remain pending, concerning the deaths of two young men and an attack on a motorcyclist.

The most recent summary acquittal involved Allan de Moraes Santos, a 36‑year‑old club employee shot dead in February 2024, with judges finding no evidence of intentional homicide or scene tampering. The rulings have sparked criticism from prosecutors and human‑rights groups who argue the decisions undermine accountability for police violence.