Father Kills Street Vendor in Defense of His Daughter
The defense lawyer for the father insists it was an act of self-defense
A tragic incident has shaken the community of Blumenau, Santa Catarina, Brazil, where a 41-year-old father fatally stabbed a 29-year-old street vendor. The incident occurred late in the afternoon on Friday, November 3, 2023, in front of the Giassi Supermarket in the Victor Konder neighborhood, a central area of the city.
The conflict began when the homeless vendor, who was selling sweets near the supermarket, approached the man's daughter to sell her paçoca (a typical Brazilian sweet). Tensions escalated when the father, upon leaving the supermarket, encountered the vendor again. The vendor insisted once more on offering the sweet to his daughter. After the father refused a second time, the vendor kicked the stroller, triggering a heated argument that escalated into a physical altercation.
The dispute quickly turned violent when the father disarmed the street vendor, who was carrying a knife, and attacked him multiple times, resulting in five fatal stab wounds to the vendor's chest.
Footage captured by witnesses and shared on social media documents the sequence of the attack. Despite intervention by the Mobile Emergency Care Service (Samu), the victim succumbed to his injuries.
The Military Police (PM) confirmed the death at the scene and reported that the suspect sustained an injury to his left hand during the incident. The man waited for the police to arrive and surrendered without resistance, receiving medical attention before being taken to the police station for legal procedures.
Defense attorney Rodolfo Warmeling stated that the attack occurred after the victim placed a sweet in the child's mouth without permission and kicked the baby stroller, in addition to issuing threats against the family. In a critical moment of the confrontation, the father disarmed the homeless man and, in what he claims was an act of self-defense, proceeded to stab him.
The father's detention was converted to preventive custody following a hearing. The Civil Police are currently investigating, while the victim's identity has not been disclosed. Police Chief Rafael Lorencetti reported that the suspect remained silent during the interrogation.
This incident comes amid a surge of attacks on homeless individuals in the state, coinciding with an increase in the number of homeless people in the area, who try to make a living by selling sweets and are causing unrest among residents. There is an urgent call for action to address public safety.