On 25 May 2022, at around midnight local time, Federal Highway Police (PRF) agents stopped Genivaldo de Jesus Santos on his motorbike on the BR-101 highway in Umbaúba, in the southern part of the Brazilian state of Sergipe, reportedly because he was not wearing a helmet. Santos, 38, was retired due to a schizophrenia diagnosis and had been on controlled psychiatric medication for twenty years. He was married with a seven-year-old son and an 18-year-old stepson.
According to witnesses, including his nephew Wallison de Jesus, Santos initially complied with police commands. During the stop, an officer asked him to lift his shirt; Santos said he was carrying psychiatric medication and had a prescription. Witness videos show officers searching him and swearing at him, after which he became upset and was knocked down and immobilized, with one officer's leg placed on his neck. Despite the nephew informing police that his uncle was schizophrenic, reinforcements were called. Witnesses said Santos was then subjected to pepper spray, kicks, and stomps over a period of roughly thirty minutes.
Santos was placed in the back of a police vehicle with the boot lid held against him, and officers threw a gas canister inside the vehicle, producing visible white smoke. After he stopped moving and screaming, officers closed the vehicle and left the scene. He was taken to a police station, found unconscious, and then transported to José Nailson Moura Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Brazil's Forensic Medical Institute (IML) attributed his death to mechanical asphyxia and acute respiratory failure.
In an official statement, the PRF said Santos had "actively resisted" and that "immobilization techniques and instruments of less offensive potential" had been used. The statement did not address the use of the gas canister inside the locked vehicle. The PRF opened a disciplinary procedure and removed the officers involved; the Federal Police, the Public Prosecutor's Office (MPF), and the Federal Senate's Human Rights Commission also opened inquiries. Brazil's Minister of Justice at the time, Anderson Torres, ordered federal investigations into the incident.
The case drew international attention, occurring exactly two years after the murder of George Floyd in the United States, with commentators drawing comparisons between the two deaths. Human Rights Watch and the United Nations Human Rights Office for South America both called for thorough investigations. Protests took place in Umbaúba, Brasília, and São Paulo, and the case was covered by numerous international outlets, including Reuters and BBC News.
On 7 December 2024, three of the officers involved — Paulo Rodolpho Lima Nascimento, William de Barros Noia, and Kleber Nascimento Freitas — were convicted and sentenced to prison terms ranging from 23 to 28 years for Santos's killing.
Key facts
- Victims
- Genivaldo de Jesus Santos
- Date
- 2022
- Location
- Umbaúba, Sergipe, Brazil
- Case status
- solved
Case timeline
2022-05-25
Genivaldo de Jesus Santos is stopped by Federal Highway Police on the BR-101 highway in Umbaúba, Sergipe; he is restrained, allegedly assaulted, and placed in a police vehicle into which a gas canister is thrown. He is later found unconscious and pronounced dead at hospital.
2022-05-26
Santos's body is transported to Aracaju and released by the Forensic Medical Institute; he is buried in Santa Luzia do Itanhy. The PRF announces removal of the officers involved. Protests occur in Umbaúba.
2022-05-27
Federal Police open an inquiry; protests take place in Brasília in front of PRF headquarters and in São Paulo.
2022-05-28
The Regional Office for the Rights of the Citizen in Sergipe opens investigative proceedings; the Federal Council of the OAB and OAB Sergipe request precautionary arrest of those involved; a further protest is organized by the black movement and human rights activists.
2024-12-07
Officers Paulo Rodolpho Lima Nascimento, William de Barros Noia, and Kleber Nascimento Freitas are convicted and sentenced to between 23 and 28 years imprisonment for Santos's killing.
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People
Adeilton dos Santos Nunes
CHARGEDFederal Highway Police officer involved in the operation during which Genivaldo de Jesus Santos died; named among officers investigated following the incident.
William de Barros Noia
CONVICTEDFederal Highway Police officer convicted and sentenced to between 23 and 28 years imprisonment for Genivaldo de Jesus Santos's killing.
Clenilson José dos Santos
CHARGEDFederal Highway Police officer involved in the operation during which Genivaldo de Jesus Santos died; named among officers investigated following the incident.
Genivaldo de Jesus Santos
VICTIM38-year-old Black man with schizophrenia who died after being restrained and gassed inside a police vehicle by Federal Highway Police officers in Umbaúba, Sergipe.
Kleber Nascimento Freitas
CONVICTEDFederal Highway Police officer convicted and sentenced to between 23 and 28 years imprisonment for Genivaldo de Jesus Santos's killing.
Paulo Rodolpho Lima Nascimento
CONVICTEDFederal Highway Police officer convicted and sentenced to between 23 and 28 years imprisonment for Genivaldo de Jesus Santos's killing.
Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.
Places
Common questions
- What happened to the victim?
- On 25 May 2022, Genivaldo de Jesus Santos, a 38-year-old Black man with schizophrenia, died after Federal Highway Police officers restrained him during a traffic stop in Umbaúba, Sergipe, Brazil, and placed him in a vehicle into which a gas canister was thrown. Three officers were later convicted for his killing.
- Where did the killing happen?
- Umbaúba, Sergipe, Brazil.
- Who was convicted?
- William de Barros Noia (Federal Highway Police officer convicted and sentenced to between 23 and 28 years imprisonment for Genivaldo de Jesus Santos's killing.), Kleber Nascimento Freitas (Federal Highway Police officer convicted and sentenced to between 23 and 28 years imprisonment for Genivaldo de Jesus Santos's killing.), and Paulo Rodolpho Lima Nascimento (Federal Highway Police officer convicted and sentenced to between 23 and 28 years imprisonment for Genivaldo de Jesus Santos's killing.).
- What is the current status of the case?
- Status: solved. Last verified July 2026.
Sources
- ENCYCLOPEDICKilling of Genivaldo de JesusWikipedia · 2026-07-07
- PRESSContemporaneous coverage — ReutersReuters · 2026-07-07
- PRESSContemporaneous coverage — BBC NewsBBC News · 2026-07-07
Record history
- First published
- JUL 07, 2026
- Last verified against sources
- JUL 07, 2026