Rua Tonelero shooting | |
---|---|
Part of Fourth Brazilian Republic | |
Location | Rua Tonelero, 180 Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro |
Date | 5 August 1954 |
Target | Carlos Lacerda |
Attack type | Assassination attempt |
Weapons | .45 ACP pistol |
Deaths | 1 |
Injured | 2 |
Assailants |
|
No. of participants | 5 |
Convictions |
|
Rua Toneleiro shooting was an attack with political bias, which aimed to assassinate the journalist and politician Carlos Lacerda. The attack occurred on the night of August 5th, 1954, in front of Lacerda's residence at Rua Toneleiro, 180, in Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro. The attack led to the death of Air Force Major Rubens Florentino Vaz and wounded municipal guard Sálvio Romeiro. [1] [2]
It gained historic significance for being a landmark in the fall of then President Getúlio Vargas, leading to his suicide 19 days later. [3] [4]
Lacerda, one of the main leaders of the opposition during Vargas administration, kicked off his campaign for the Chamber of Deputies. As he was threatened before, a group of supporters, Air Force officers, served as personal security during his rallies. After a rally held on the night of 4 August 1954 in the courtyard of Colégio São José, the journalist went back home along with his 15-year old son, Sérgio, in the car of Major Rubens Florentino Vaz. After arriving on Rua Tonelero, once they all got out of the car to say their farewells, a gunman emerged from the darkness and shot at the group many times. Air Force Major Vaz tried to defend but was shot on the chest. Meanwhile, Lacerda took cover with his son in an adjacent garage and returned fire at the attacker, who fled in a taxi. Sálvio Romeiro, a local guard who heard the gunfire, came to investigate but was also shot; he was, however, able to write down the license plate of the escape vehicle. [5] [6]
At the same night, the press began publishing details of the crime. The taxi driver, Nelson Raimunmdo de Souza, knowing that his vehicle was identified, decided to present himselft to a police station. He initially pleaded not guilty and that he was only hired by the passenger, unaware of the crime, but confessed his involvement in a testimony to the police. [5] To the investigators, Raimundo stated he took two persons to Rua Tonelero at the night of the attack against Lacerda. One of them, he didn't know, but he knew very well the other. It was Climério Euribes de Almeida, member of the personal security of the President and acquaintance of Gregório Fortunato. [7]
When the police went to the suspect's house, in the district of Méier, he already had fled. A large force was mobilized for his capture. At dawn, the police published an official statement to the press, with the content of the testimony of driver Nelson Raimundo and affirming that they had determined to carry out several steps in the search of Climério. The operation mobilized around 200 armed men, military vehicles and even helicopters, and extended to four states: Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Paraná and Rio Grande do Sul. [8]
Nelson's taxi rank was located on Rua Silveira Martins, in a crossing with Rua do Catete - along to the then presidential palace - and used to be hired by members of Vargas' personal security. One of these members, Almeida, made an agreement with the taxi drive to escape with his vehicle with him and a gunman, Alcino João do Nascimento. [5]
Nascimento, who was a carpenter in financial difficulties, was hired months before by José Antônio Soares to execute an opponent. He quickly accepted the serviced, but killing the wrong person. This fact didn't stop Soares to appoint him to accomplish a similar task made by Almeida. They had an agreement to kill Lacerda during a rally in Barra Mansa. However, Raimundo's car broke down, delaying the assassination to 4 August, date of the next rally of the journalist. On this day, Almeida and Nascimento went to Colégio São José, but the taxi driver, who was supposed to meet them for the escape, delayed. In the late night, the three decide to got to Lacerda's house. [5]
After cross-fire, Lacerda was shot on the foot, and Major Vaz, after being shot twice by a .45 caliber pistol (of exclusive use of the Brazilian Armed Forces), died heading to the hospital. Alcino stated that the assailant was Lutero Vargas, son of Getúlio Vargas and adversary of Carlos Lacerda. [9] The Air Force high command assumed the investigations on 8 August, same that when Gregório Fortunato, accused to be the main assailant, confessed his participation. Climério Euribes de Almeida and Alcino João do Nascimento were arrested a little time later. [5]
The political crisis that followed the attack, in particular with military personnel unhappy with the death of one of them, escalated by the Lacerda's and his followers violent attacks against the president, without a moderator, increased a wave opposed to Getúlio Vargas. Faced with resignation requests which began to increase, on 23 August, the president met with his ministers in Catete Palace, in order to analyze the political status. It was decided that the president would go on a leave, returning to power when the investigations about the attack were concluded. Two hours later, almost 5:00 a.m. on the 24th, Benjamin Vargas, Vargas' brother, arrived in the Palace with the information that the military wanted him to resign. As a response, after leaving to his bedroom, Vargas affirmed: "Only dead I will leave Catete!" Moments later, a shot was heard: Vargas was dead with a shot in his heart. [10]
Nasciment was sentenced to 33 years in prison, sentence later reduced. He was imprisoned for 23 years and survived two assassination attempts. [11] [12] Fortunato was sentenced to 25 years, later assassinated in prison, just like Almeida, sentenced to 33 years. José Antônio Soares was sentenced to 26 and Nelson Raimundo to 11 years.
The official story, reviewed by the popular jury that convicted the crime authors in 1956, keeps being contested by people who point many inconsistencies in the investigation and questions without answers. [6] [13]
One of the main motivators of doubts would be the criminal inquiry, written in an excessive anti-Vargas bias and full of expressions such as "coward attack" and "lying testimony", among others. There was no crime reenactment or confrontation between Lacerda (who initially claimed that there were 3 people shooting on him) and the alleged gunman Nascimento. [6] [13]
Another question was the amateurism of the crime authors, who let evident clues which immediately led the investigations to the Catete Palace. Conspiracy theorists claim that this would be intentional, to haste a political crisis which would have as consequence the Vargas removal from the presidency. There is no testimony or evidence supporting this theory, which is only a hypotesis. [13]
The Fourth Brazilian Republic, also known as the "Populist Republic" or as the "Republic of 46", is the period of Brazilian history between 1946 and 1964. It was marked by political instability and the military's pressure on civilian politicians which ended with the 1964 Brazilian coup d'état and the establishment of the Brazilian military dictatorship.
Carlos Frederico Werneck de Lacerda was a Brazilian journalist and politician.
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Tonelero is the name of a street located in the neighbourhood of Copacabana in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is named after the Battle of the Tonelero Pass. The Siqueira Campos and Cardeal Arcoverde stations of Line 1 of the Rio de Janeiro Metro are accessible from this street.
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Events in the year 1934 in Brazil.
Events in the year 1954 in Brazil.
Events in the year 1951 in Brazil.
Gregório Fortunato was the head of the personal guard of Brazilian president Getúlio Vargas. Fortunato was also known as Anjo Negro, due to his size, physique and his black skin.
Alcino João do Nascimento was a Brazilian construction worker. He gained notoriety for being one of the convicted for the assassination attempt of journalist and politician Carlos Lacerda, which became nationally known as the Rua Tonelero shooting.
The effort to impeach Getúlio Vargas was a process open aiming to remove Getúlio Vargas from the Presidency of Brazil in 1954.
The second presidency of Getúlio Vargas corresponds to the period of Brazilian political history that began on January 31, 1951, after he won the 1950 presidential election by direct vote with 3,849,040 against 2,342,384 for Eduardo Gomes, becoming the 17th President of Brazil; and ended on August 24, 1954, with his suicide and the vice-president, Café Filho, taking office.
Rubens Florentino Vaz was a Brazilian military officer in the Brazilian Air Force. He was shot and killed by then president Getúlio Vargas's bodyguard Gregório Fortunato in an attempt to assassinate Carlos Lacerda, one of the most prominent opposition voices to the Vargas presidency.
The presidency of Juscelino Kubitschek began on January 31, 1956, after he won the 1955 Brazilian presidential election, and ended on January 31, 1961, when Jânio Quadros took office.