Military police officer Júlio César da Silva Costa, 43, died on Friday night after being shot while on patrol in Vila Esperança, Cubatão, in the Baixada Santista region. He was assigned to the 4th Company of the 21st Military police Battalion and is survived by his wife and 12-year-old son.

According to the Secretariat of Public Security (SSP), costa was in the passenger seat of a police vehicle on the main avenue when an assailant fired multiple shots at the car. He was transported to Cubatão’s central emergency room but succumbed to his injuries.

Investigation Underway Following Officer’s Death

The Cubatão police station has registered the case as a homicide and requested forensic analysis. According to the SSP, “Diligences are underway by both police to locate and arrest the perpetrator.”

Guilherme Derrite,the Secretary of Security of Sao Paulo,expressed his condolences on social media,stating,”My feelings to the family of Cabo Júlio César da Silva Costa,brutally attacked by criminals in Cubatão. We react immediately with police reinforcement and intelligence operation to hunt the guardian. We will not rest until capturing him. This crime will not be unpunished.”

“We will not rest until capturing him. This crime will not be unpunished.”

Rising Violence Against Police in Baixada Santista

This incident is part of a recent increase in violence targeting military police in the Baixada Santista area. Last year, two soldiers and one officer, including Samuel Wesley Cosmo, a member of the Rota (Ostensive Rounds Tobias de Aguiar), were killed on the coast between late January and early February.

Operation Summer, launched in response to these killings, resulted in 56 deaths, making it the deadliest operation by the São Paulo PM as the Carandiru massacre in 1992.

Prior to Operation Summer, Operation Shield was initiated on July 28, 2023, following the death of soldier patrick Bastos Reis, 30, also a member of the rota. that operation resulted in 28 fatalities.

In the first quarter of 2025, six police officers were violently killed, including two on-duty PMs, two civilian police officers, and two off-duty officers.