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After George Floyd Verdict, Brazilians Are Still Waiting for Police Accountability

By Edmund Ruge

The stalled case of João Pedro Matos, a Black teen killed in Rio, shows the long road ahead.

SÃO PAULO — 5,500 miles south of Minneapolis and one week prior to the killing of George Floyd, 14-year-old João Pedro Matos ventured to his cousin's house to play pool. The Black adolescent arrived just as Rio de Janeiro police began a raid on alleged drug traffickers nearby. His parents would find his body 17 hours later.  Witnesses say police stormed the house firing, and official forensic reports counted 72 bullet holes across the walls, furniture and ceiling. João Pedro suffered a lethal shot to the back, the victim of what the police allege was a shootout with gang members...

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