Brazil cops are arrested after video captured them shooting two men on a motorcycle before their bodies were found dumped by the side of the road and officers claimed they 'fell off bike and had been released from custody'
A surveillance camera mounted on a building in the Rio de Janeiro city of Belford Roxo captured the horrifying moment a police officer opened fire on two men aboard a motorcycle, hours before their bodies were found dumped on a street Saturday morning.
Military Police Private Jorge Custódio and Corporal Júlio Ferreira were arrested Sunday in connection with the murders of Jordan Natividade, 18, and Edson Arguinez Jr., 20.
The agents had lied in an incident report and said they did not shoot at the men. They claimed that they had released them from custody before the bodies were found.
The video showed the cops standing next to their patrol vehicle approximately 1:10am when Custódio used his rifle to shoot at the victims as they rode by.
Natividade and Arguinez Jr. fell to the ground and Custódio is seen walking over and kicking Natividade in the head while Ferreira aims his rifle at them.
A surveillance camera from a building in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, captures the moment Military Police members, Private Jorge Custódio (nearest agent pictured) and Corporal Júlio Ferreira, charge at Jordan Natividade (pictured in red shirt) and Edson Arguinez Jr. (pictured in blue shirt) on Saturday morning. Custódio shot at the pair after Natividade drove past them in the motorcycle. The dead bodies of Natividade and Arguinez Jr. were found Saturday afternoon
Jordan Natividade was found naked and his jaw was fractured, according to his family
Edson Arguinez Jr. (pictured) and his friend Jordan Natividade attended a barbecue together Friday night and were traveling after midnight Saturday to meet some female acquaintances when they were shot at by two cops in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Both were found dead Saturday afternoon in the Rio de Janeiro city of Belford Roxo
The driver of a vehicle that was stationed behind the patrol unit then drove off. Video footage showed Custódio guiding Arguinez Jr. to the sidewalk while Ferreira aimed his rifle at Natividade, who crawled on his back.
A second surveillance video shows the moment one of the agents handcuffed Natividade and walked him away.
The video camera that captured the shooting showed Ferreira riding off on the motorcycle, followed Custódio who drove the patrol car with both men in the back seat.
The lifeless bodies of Natividade and Arguinez Jr. were discovered in the Belford Roxo neighborhood of Babi on Saturday afternoon. Their bodies showed signs of violence and gunshots
According to Brazilian news site UOL, Natividade's family learned through the police department's forensic staff that teenager was found naked and that his jaw had been broken.
Investigators discovered the cops lied on their incident report, claiming Natividade and Arguinez Jr. had fallen off the motorcycle and wrote on their shift log that they never opened fire. However, the video footage showed otherwise.
Rio de Janeiro Military Police's Corporal Júlio Ferreira (left) is seen on camera driving off on the motorcycle while Private Jorge Custódio (top right) stands next to the police cruiser after arresting Edson Arguinez Jr. and Jordan Natividade
One of the two Military Police agents places the handcuffs on Jordan Natividade
Ferreira stated that Natividade and Arguinez Jr. were taken into custody but released about 141 feet down the road after determining that they did not have any criminal records and that there was nothing wrong with the motorcycle.
The cops said that Arguinez Jr. suffered a head injury as a result of the fall and used his t-shirt to stop the bleeding. They also said that he refused to be taken to a hospital for treatment.
Investigators also found traces of blood on of the the carpet covering the backseat of the police cruiser. The car's GPS system confirmed the cops had driven by the area where the bodies were dumped.
'There are strong indications that the officers, in order to cover up an unsuccessful police approach, ended the lives of the victims in order to hide their past behaviors, remaining evident that the precautionary arrest is necessary to guarantee public order,' Judge Rafael de Almeida wrote after ruling that Ferreira and Custódio would remain in preventive confinement as part of the investigation.
Jordan Natividade was buried on Monday afternoon in the Rio de Janeiro city of Belford Roxo
Jordan Natividade and Edson Arguinez Jr. (bottom right) sit on a sidewalk moments after they were shot at by two police officers while riding a motorcycle in Rio de Janeiro early Saturday. Natividade and Arguinez Jr. were arrested and their bodies were founded dead Saturday afternoon
Ronan Santana said that Natividade, his nephew, had been at a barbecue with friends earlier in the night that he had gone with Arguinez Jr. to meet their female acquaintances.
'We think the police are on the streets to protect us,' Santana said. 'They took the lives of two boys, who had no way to defend themselves. My nephew was a playful, cheerful kid.'
Natividade and Arguinez Jr. were buried Monday afternoon.
Military Police spokesman Major Ivan Blaz said that while the area Ferreira and Custódio patrolled was not the safest, but their actions were uncalled for.
'Anyone who has a minimum of knowledge knows that the approaches are not always perfect,' Blaz said, according to Brazilian online portal G1. 'It is a tense moment. However, the conduct in conducting this event was completely wrong.'
