The owner of a mansion, his security guard and a police officer are all dead after the homeowner mistook the officer for a thief and opened fire in Brazil.
Rogério Saladino, 56, was hosting a party at his home in São Paulo's upscale Jardins neighborhood when he shot dead civilian police investigator Milene Bagalho, 39, on Saturday.
Alex Gomes, 49, who was in charge of security at the mansion, was shot during a confrontation with Bagalho's partner after Saladino was injured.
Bagalho, mother of a five-year-old girl, and Saladino were rushed to an area hospital where they were pronounced dead. Gomes died at the scene.
Brazilian businessman Rogério Saladino was shot dead outside his mansion in São Paulo on Saturday, where he opened fire and killed one of two police officers he mistook for thieves. His bodyguard, Alex Gomes, was killed in the shooting
Rogério Saladino was seen on camera shooting police officers investigating a recent neighborhood robbery. Saladino fired warning shots into the air, then opened a garage door and fired multiple shots, hitting an officer three times before her partner shot him. Saladino and the injured officer were taken to a local hospital, where they died
Surveillance camera footage showed Bagalho standing on a sidewalk as she surveyed the area following a robbery at a home near Saladino's mansion after a thief stole a vehicle and personal belongings.
Saladino, the father of a 15-year-old boy, could be seen opening a garage door before opening fire and striking Bagalho.
Bagalho was struck twice in the right arm and once in the right armpit and was unable to respond with fire, police said. Her partner shot at Saladino, hitting him in the chest. Gomes responded by taking Saladino's gun and was shot in the shoulder before he could open fire.
São Paulo's Ministry of Homicide and Personal Protection said Bagalho and her partner had approached local residents for access to their surveillance cameras and encountered Gomes, asking if they could view the mansion's security system.
Civilian police detective Milene Bagalho was shot dead on Saturday in São Paulo's upmarket Jardins neighborhood
Alex Gomes worked as a bodyguard in the mansion of Brazilian businessman Rogério Saladino. Both were shot dead during a shootout with police on Saturday
Gomes told another guard at the house and he informed Saladino. Saladino saw the police on camera and was not convinced they were law enforcement.
He fired several warning shots into the air to scare the police away, then opened the gate of the mansion and shot at Bagalho.
Civilian police chief Fábio Pinheiro told Brazilian news channel G1 that Saladino, who had a permit to store weapons in his home, was “wrong” to shoot at police.
'He (Rogério) thought it was a scam, but he did everything wrong. He was safe in his home,” Pinheiro said. 'The house has an armored guardhouse, the gates were all closed. If he suspected something, what should he have done: call the military police, call the civilian police.”
Saladino had a .380 pistol registered in his name and illegally owned a .45 caliber pistol.
Rogério Saladino was a partner and president at Grupo Biofast, a clinical analysis laboratory
Civilian police detective Milene Bagalho and her partner were investigating a robbery when she was shot and killed by a homeowner who mistook them for thieves.
Saladino saw the police on camera and was not convinced they were law enforcement.
“He simply opened the gate, took cover and started shooting at the police officer, who was even talking to her deputy (by phone) and reporting on the investigation,” Arthur Dian, chief general of the civilian police, said, according to the news outlet Metropoles.
He was arrested in 1989 on charges of murder and assault. In 2008 he was arrested for an environmental crime. Both businesses were closed, police said.
Saladino was a partner and president of clinical analysis laboratory Grupo Biofast. He leaves behind a 15-year-old from a previous relationship.
Pinheiro said that of the 650 police officers under his command, Bagalho stood out.
'Of the ten robberies we attended, she and her partner solved eight. It is an irreparable loss,” he said.