Police Kill Unarmed Teen in Sao Paulo Home: Mother's Heartbreak and Community Outrage

A 19-year-old man, Natanael, was fatally shot by police officers inside his own home in the Vila Andrade neighborhood of Sao Paulo, Brazil, on May 21, 2025. The incident, captured partially on security camera footage, shows police pursuing Natanael and a passenger on a motorcycle. Police claim Natanael was armed with a pistol, but witnesses interviewed by SBT News stated he was unarmed and running towards his home to seek help from his mother. "They started pushing me out, pulling my son by his shirt," Natanael’s mother, Maria Bethânia Venâncio, recounted to SBT News, her voice filled with grief. "They killed my son in front of me." Following the shooting, protests erupted in the Vila Andrade community, highlighting concerns about police brutality and the need for increased accountability. The Civil Police have opened an investigation, and a Military Police Inquiry has been launched. The incident underscores the ongoing debate surrounding police conduct and the use of lethal force in Brazil.