21-year-old Evelyn Lima Dantas was shot dead outside her home in Brazil in front of her father by two unknown assailants in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
Dantas, who was known in Brazil for her social media posts, reportedly crawled out of her home and was executed in front of her father. According to Brazilian media reports, the two assailants repeatedly shot the 21-year-old on the sidewalk outside her home.
Subsequently, the letters “TCP” were spray-painted on the front of the house, a reference to the criminal organization Terceiro Comando Puro, the second-most powerful gang in Rio de Janeiro.
Dantas was murdered while an investigation was underway into the death of 56-year-old retired police officer Antônio Anildo Alves da Silva, who had been shot dead by four hooded men outside a supermarket on July 29. Police were investigating the 21-year-old’s involvement and whether she had assisted the assailants prior to the murder.
Dantas, who had been released on September 9 while the investigation was still ongoing, had previously been arrested on suspicion of drug trafficking on behalf of a gang
Authorities are investigating the possibility that her murder was an act of retaliation. “We are working on the assumption that this is a cover-up or retaliation by a criminal organization,” a police spokesperson stated.
