Family of man gunned down by police present formal complaint
Portugal Resident
Odair Moniz’s fatal shooting sparked a wave of violent attacks across capital
The family of Odair Moniz, the Cape Verdean man killed by a PSP police officer a month ago, has filed a complaint against the police force for abuse of power.
At issue is what the family considers to have been the police raid on ‘a house in mourning’, a few days after Odair Moniz’s death, which they say resulted in psychological and material damage.
At the time of the raid, the family mentioned the possibility of filing a complaint against the police. The police also refuted that they had burst into the family apartment, in spite of all the social media footage to the contrary.
The news of this formalised complaint has come from one of the family’s defence lawyers, writes Lusa, “on the sidelines of the Popular Assembly of Neighbourhoods” which took place today at Carnide Cultural Centre, in Lisbon’s Padre Cruz neighbourhood, bringing together hundreds of participants from various communities.
The complaint “for crimes of abuse of power, damage and housebreaking by an official” was filed with the Public Prosecutor’s Office against the PSP General Command, and also against unknown persons, since the defence does not know the identity of the agents allegedly involved in the intervention.
Odair Moniz, 43 – a resident of the Zambujal neighborhood in Amadora, and father of three children – was shot dead by a PSP officer in Cova da Moura, also in Amadora, in the early hours of October 21.
According to the PSP’s official version, he “fled” in a car after seeing a police vehicle and crashed in Cova da Moura, where, when he was approached by two young officers, he “resisted arrest and tried to assault them with a bladed weapon”.
These details were not confirmed by eye-witnesses, nor by the PSP agent who pulled the trigger (according to certain media reports). The incident triggered outrage in several communities in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, with resulting rioting and criminal damage.
Buses, cars, motorcycles and refuse bins were set on fire over a period of days, resulting in over 20 arrests, and a number of personal injuries, one of them very serious.
Both the SOS Racismo association and the Vida Justa movement have vociferously contested the police version and demanded a “serious and impartial” investigation to determine responsibility, considering that “a culture of impunity” in the police is at stake.
Authorities have launched investigations, but no conclusions have been forthcoming.
According to the lawyer of the officer who shot Odair Moniz, the young man remains on sick leave and is waiting to be called to make a statement as part of the disciplinary proceedings he has been subjected to.
The officer made a statement to the Judicial Police “immediately after the events”, in the early hours of October 21, but has not yet made a statement to the Public Prosecutor’s Office, according to the same source.
In the meantime, Odair Moniz’s family has launched a fundraising campaign (available online at https://www.gofundme.com/f/justica-por-odair-moniz), which has already raised more than €29,000.
Source material: Lusa
The post Family of man gunned down by police present formal complaint appeared first on Portugal Resident written by Natasha Donn
