Police officer who killed robber sentenced to 14 years

In the early hours of April 1, 2024, lead officer Rui Gonçalves shot a man in the chest . According to the PSP, the man and his girlfriend robbed him at a traffic light near the Jamor National Stadium in Oeiras. The officer took them to his apartment, in a building inhabited only by officers, where he took his pistol and shot the assailant.

However, as Expresso has now revealed, the court has a different understanding, supported by the version given by the victim's girlfriend. In the end, the PSP was sentenced to 14 years in prison.

Kidnapping of an agent. The National Directorate of the PSP confirms that it has contacted the PJ after "necessary and urgent investigations" at the scene.

The panel of judges presided over by Margarida Natário validated the testimony of the partner, who said that Rui Gonçalves took the car to an area known to be sought after by those seeking sexual encounters, near Jamor, where it made "three turns" until it stopped next to the car where the couple was — who went there because they knew it was an easy area to get money in exchange for sex.

According to the weekly newspaper, the two asked the officer if he "wanted a party," to which he responded affirmatively. Once they were all in the same car, Rui felt a gun in his stomach and was forced to drive the pair home. After handing over his wallet containing 45 euros and his cell phone, he shouted "police," grabbed his gun, and shot the victim—despite the robber not attempting to reach for the pistol he had in his pants, which was actually an airsoft replica.

The panel of judges, who also ordered the defendant to pay 40,000 euros to the victim's son, said that the officer could have immobilized the assailant or fired into a non-lethal area, as he had good marksmanship in shooting training.

While the court criticized the PJ inspectors for their inadequate investigation, it also criticized the Public Prosecutor's Office, which was content with the "weaknesses" noted in the investigation. The judges argue that, in an "incomprehensible" and "inexplicable" manner, the inspectors failed to perform "absolutely crucial" measures, such as locating the cell phones of the PSP and the suspects, or obtaining video surveillance footage from commercial establishments near an ATM in Algés where he was allegedly forced to go. The judges question whether the inspectors downplayed the testimony of the victim's partner (sentenced to three and a half years with a suspended sentence) because she was a drug addict. "Let us not forget that all citizens are equal before the law and that we all owe it obedience," reads the decision cited by the weekly newspaper.

The excessive considerations contained in the PJ report are also considered, which states that "any good family man or average man," in that situation, "would have behaved exactly the same way." The PSP officers who appeared in court were censured for conveying the message that police officers are trained to use weapons to kill and for supporting their colleague's actions, even though they acknowledged that carrying a weapon hanging from the waistband of one's pants did not pose a significant threat.

Thus, according to Expresso, the court ordered the extraction of a certificate of the statements given by inspectors and agents, having alerted the national directorates of the PJ and PSP.