Gunfire from state law enforcement officers killed 51-year-old Jefferson Dias da Silva, the municipal secretary of Economic Development and a former city councilor of Queimados, along Avenida Brasil in the North Zone of Rio de Janeiro. The fatal shooting occurred on Monday night (19) when troops attempted to pull over a vehicle traveling in the westbound lanes toward the West Zone, near the neighborhoods of Bonsucesso and Penha.
Eyewitnesses at the scene reported that the driver of the electric car carrying the municipal official failed to comply with a police order to stop near the Marinha Mercante bus rapid transit (BRT) station. Officers then opened fire on the moving automobile, which continued down the expressway for several meters before coming to a complete halt. Cellphone footage recorded by passing motorists captured the sound of the gunfire and showed people ducking between cars along the busy thoroughfare.
Homicide detectives seize officer weapons and review bodycam footage
The Capital Homicide Division (DHC), a specialized unit of the Rio de Janeiro Civil Police (Brazil’s state investigative judicial police) headquartered in the Barra da Tijuca neighborhood, registered the fatality and took over the criminal inquiry. According to the Civil Police, forensic experts examined both the highway stretch and the bullet-riddled automobile. Investigators confiscated the service weapons of the military police officers involved for ballistic comparisons, recorded formal statements from the patrol team, and interviewed the victim’s wife, Cíntia Belchior. Detectives are also reviewing recordings from the body-worn cameras attached to the officers’ uniforms during the operation.
The Rio de Janeiro State Military Police (PMERJ), the uniformed state force responsible for street patrolling, issued a statement expressing regret over the official’s death and confirmed that its Internal Affairs Department (Corregedoria-Geral) opened a parallel administrative inquiry to evaluate the conduct of the troops. “The circumstances of the incident will be clarified through the ongoing investigations. The scene was preserved and the area isolated for forensic examination,” the corporation stated in an official note, without specifying who owned the vehicle targeted in the approach.
Key details of the fatal police encounter in the North Zone
- Victim identified: Jefferson Dias da Silva, widely known in local politics as Jeferson da Linave, 51, serving as Secretary of Economic Development and former city councilor in the municipality of Queimados, located in the Baixada Fluminense metropolitan region.
- Targeted automobile: An electric passenger car manufactured by the automaker BYD.
- Patrol unit involved: State troopers assigned to the 22nd Military Police Battalion (BPM), headquartered in the Maré neighborhood.
- Investigating authorities: The Civil Police’s Capital Homicide Division (DHC) and the Military Police Internal Affairs Department.
- Forensic transfer: The official’s body was transported to the Legal Medical Institute (IML), the official state morgue located in downtown Rio de Janeiro.
Queimados mayor and municipal administration mourn cabinet member
Affiliated with the Christian Democracy (DC) political party, Jefferson Dias da Silva was married and the father of one daughter. Known throughout the Baixada Fluminense region as Jeferson da Linave, he served an elected term in the Queimados Municipal Chamber before joining the local executive branch to lead the Department of Economic Development. Queimados Mayor Glauco Kaizer, a member of the União Brasil party, traveled directly to the crime scene on Avenida Brasil to monitor the work of the Civil Police forensic team and released an official statement mourning the loss of his cabinet member.
“It is with a heart deeply wounded by grief that I announce the passing of our municipal secretary of Economic Development and former councilor, Jeferson da Linave,” Mayor Glauco Kaizer stated. The municipal leader also asked residents to support the bereaved relatives: “In this moment of immense sadness, I ask everyone to unite in prayer, interceding for his family and friends so that the sweet consolations of the Holy Spirit may reach their hearts, bringing strength, peace, and support to get through this painful loss”.
The local government of Queimados released a formal note of condolence addressing the death of the public servant. “In this moment of grief, the city hall stands in solidarity with his family and friends, especially his wife and daughter, wishing them strength and comfort to face this irreparable loss,” the City Hall of Queimados declared in its official communication.
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Timeline of the highway shooting and lane closures on Avenida Brasil
- October 19, 2026 (night) — Officers from the 22nd Military Police Battalion attempt to stop the BYD electric vehicle on Avenida Brasil near Bonsucesso; troops fire multiple shots, and Jefferson Dias da Silva dies at the scene.
- October 19 to October 20, 2026 (overnight) — Two westbound lanes of the expressway are closed to traffic with support from the Rio de Janeiro Traffic Engineering Company (CET-Rio, the municipal transit agency) and the Military Police while DHC detectives conduct forensic work.
- October 20, 2026 (4:00 a.m.) — Normal traffic flow is fully restored along Avenida Brasil following the removal of the vehicle and the completion of crime scene examinations.
State law enforcement authorities have not yet disclosed the exact number of military police officers who participated in the traffic stop or the total number of rounds fired at the secretary’s car. Investigators have also not confirmed whether the victim’s wife, Cíntia Belchior, was riding inside the vehicle when the shooting took place, and the family has not yet announced the time or location for the wake and burial of Jefferson Dias da Silva.