Cameraman hit by squib is declared brain dead

The Municipal Health Secretariat confirmed on Monday (Feb. 10) the brain death of Bandeirantes TV cameraman Santiago Andrade, 49. He had been hit by a flare during a street protest in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday (Feb. 6) and is being kept at Souza Aguiar Municipal Hospital’s intensive care unit.

Andrade suffered a depressed skull fracture and lost part of his left ear. He underwent a surgery to ease his skull pressure. On Saturday, tomography confirmed that the hemorrhage was under control, but the cameraman’s health condition deteriorated.

The camera operator was hit by a flare while filming the protest in downtown Rio de Janeiro against the increase in bus fares. He had been working in the trade for over twenty years, and for Bandeirantes network for ten years. Andrade was married and father of four.

Tattoo artist Fábio Raposo was arrested on Sunday morning (Feb. 9) while in his parents’ house, after being indicted for participating in the attack. He agreed to help the police identify the person who set off the projectile that injured Santiago Andrade, although he says the suspect does not belong to his social circle.

Footage of the protest, aired by several TV channels throughout the whole weekend, show, at several moments, Raposo standing next to the protester who fired the flare. He reported to a major TV network that he himself had handed it to the suspect, after finding it lying on the floor.

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira