Young man dies in police intervention under unclear circumstances

On Monday night, October 28, a young man identified as Ithalo dos Santos Nascimento, 25, lost his life after an alleged confrontation with the police in the South Zone of Aracaju. Ithalo, a waiter at a local bar, was approached by agents of the Special Tactical Group of Motorcyclists (Getam) when he left a convenience store at a gas station in the Coroa do Meio neighborhood.

According to information provided by the agents, Ithalo allegedly pretended to pull out a weapon while advancing towards the police garrison, which caused one of the agents to shoot. However, the analysis of the Institute of Criminalistics confirmed that the young man only had a cell phone and some pieces of plastic in his waist at the time of the incident.

According to his family, Ithalo had left his home in Bairro Marcos Freire III, in Nossa Senhora do Socorro, and went to Coroa do Meio, where he made two purchases at a convenience store before the fatal confrontation. His wife reported that he had called previously, commenting that his motorcycle would be near the bar where he worked.

The incident has generated great indignation in the community. José Santana Neto, the young man's stepfather, declared: "My son was not a vagabond, my son was not armed." Ithalo's body was buried on Tuesday in Nossa Senhora do Socorro, leaving his wife and one-year-old son.

The public security authorities of Sergipe, together with the Military Police Command, have ordered an exhaustive investigation led by the Department of Homicide and Personal Protection (DHPP) to clarify the events. In a statement, the State Secretariat for Public Security (SSP) expressed its commitment to transparency in the investigation process and regretted the loss of life.

Lieutenant Colonel Allyson Cruz, spokesperson for the Military Police, indicated that several hypotheses regarding the incident are being examined, including the possibility that the young man sought out a “suicide by police officer situation,” a term used in police doctrine to refer to when a person with suicidal thoughts induces a confrontation with security forces.

In addition, Romeu Lisboa, director of the Legal Medical Institute (IML), confirmed that Ithalo died from a single shot that hit his skull from top to bottom.

The bar where Ithalo worked issued a note lamenting his departure and announcing its temporary closure as a sign of mourning.