Latest news with #JeanCharles
Metro
a day ago
- Metro
Why was an innocent electrician shot and killed by police ‘in cold blood'?
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video On July 22, 20 years ago today, electrician Jean Charles de Menezes left his home in Tulse Hill to fix a broken alarm. Stopping to pick up a copy of Metro, the Brazilian national descended the stairs of Stockwell Tube Station and boarded the next train. Unbeknownst to him, three officers – named only as Hotel 1, 2 and 3 – sat themselves around him. Moments later, he was shot seven times in the head by police, leaving his body 'unrecognisable'. His devastated mum Maria has been pushing for prosecutions ever since, saying her son was 'educated and civilised' and 'always respected law and order'. The family gathered today at a vigil outside the station, saying it is a 'travesty' no police officer has ever been held accountable. Patricia da Silva Armani, Mr de Menezes' cousin, said: 'He was a completely innocent man. And yet, he was shot in cold blood. 'Nothing can erase the pain of knowing that the life of a hard-working, kind, and honest young man was taken from us out of prejudice and incompetence. 'Jean's memory demands more than words – it demands truth, accountability, and real change. We will not forget. We will not be silent.' But what happened in those fatal few moments on the Tube, and why have the officers have not faced any disciplinary measures? They wrongly thought the Jean Charles was part of the previous day's failed second wave of bomb attacks three weeks after the 7/7 terror attacks. An address in Scotia Road, Tulse Hill, was written on a gym membership card found inside one of the bags where an undetonated bomb was hidden. Police carried out extensive surveillance in the area, where Jean Charles lived in one of those flats with his two cousins. As he left to respond to the faulty alarm, officers believed Jean Charles looked like the CCTV images of one of the bombing suspects Osman Hussain. Cressida Dick, who later became Metropolitan Police Commissioner, ordered Jean Charles be prevented from entering the London Underground. 22 July 2005 Jean Charles de Menezes shot dead by police at Stockwell Tube station 17 July 2006 CPS says no officers will be prosecuted, but Met Police will be tried for breaching health and safety laws 1 November 2007 Met Police found guilty of breaching health and safety laws and fined 22 October 2008 Inquest under way – coroner rules out unlawful killing verdict a month later 12 December 2008 Inquest jury returns open verdict 16 November 2009 Met Police settles damages claim with family 10 June 2015 De Menezes family take legal challenge to European Court of Human Rights 30 March 2016 Family lose challenge over decision not to charge any police officer over the shooting Officers followed him onto a bus and thought he was acting suspicious once he arrived at Brixton Station and found it was closed due to the previous day's bombings. Jean Charles boarded the bus again to Stockwell Station, went down to the platform and got on the train. Firearms officers boarded the train, with varying accounts of whether or not they spoke to the electrician or not. They had all sat around him, and when Jean Charles stood up, an officer codenamed Hotel 3 grabbed, pinned his arms against his torso and pushed him back into his seat. It is unclear what happens next. Two officers fired a total of 11 shots between them. Seven of them landed in Jean Charles's head and his body was left 'unreconisable'. Police said they had been told to fire directly at suspected suicide bomber's heads – which the Muslim Council of Britain described as a 'shoot-to-kill policy'. Later investigation found the event had the 'hallmarks of a special forces operation, rather than a police one'. No officers were prosecuted, but the Metropolitan Police force was fined for breaching health and safety laws. More Trending Jean Charles's family took the force to the European Court of Human Rights in 2016 over the decision to not charge any officers. But the family lost the challenge, with the force saying the circumstances around his death 'came at a time of unprecedented terrorist threat to London'. They have also been subject to numerous public inquiries, and two separate reports by the Independent Police Complaints Commission. The Met said: 'No officer sets out on duty intent on ending a life. Our sole purpose is the complete opposite – the protection and preservation of life – and we have taken extensive action to address the causes of this tragedy.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: 'First-of-its-kind' Eurostar-style train to directly connect UK with Berlin and two more cities MORE: Husband who stabbed estranged wife in street as she pushed their baby in pram jailed for 28 years MORE: Fans slam 'atrocious' immersive Elvis Presley show with tickets up to £300
The Irish Sun
01-07-2025
- The Irish Sun
I gunned down Jean Charles de Menezes – then was told we'd got wrong man…it was worst moment, says cop in ONLY interview
IT'S almost 20 years since electrician Jean Charles de Menezes was shot dead on a packed London Tube carriage in a tragic case of mistaken identity. The capital was on high alert as four suicide bombers were on the run after a Advertisement 12 Jean Charles de Menezes was shot dead by armed police officers at Stockwell Tube Station in a case of mistaken identity on July 22, 2005 Credit: PA:Press Association 12 Police followed Jean Charles through the London Underground station, fearing he was a suicide bomber Credit: Handout 12 Two officers – codenamed C2 and C12 - killed Jean Charles with seven bullets to the head Credit: PA 12 Now C2, who fired five shots, speaks for the first time and expresses his sincere regret over the killing Credit: Times Newspapers Ltd A terrible error led to armed police officers following Brazilian Advertisement Two of them – codenamed C2 and Now C2, who fired five shots, has spoken out for the first time to apologise to his family - admitting he wishes he could turn back the clock. He tells a Netflix documentary which drops today: "I would say to Jean Charles' family I'm sorry, that I and another officer were put in a position where we killed your son. "I would do anything to roll back time, to have a different set of circumstances where that didn't happen. That should not have happened.' In the four-part series - Attack on London: Hunting the 7/7 bombers - C2 appears with his face hidden under a baseball cap and a hoodie. Advertisement He says: 'I have never spoken about this publicly. This will probably be the only time that I will talk about it, rather than take it to my grave.' A third firearms officer, Charlie 5, witnessed the killing, and two decades later the events of that fateful morning are burnt into his subconscious. Just two weeks after four suicide bombers killed 52 commuters and wounded more 700 others on But the 21/7 bombers failed to detonate their devices because the hydrogen peroxide mixture they had used as explosive was too weak. 7/7 survivor Dan Biddle and his rescuer Adrian interview Instead the would-be bombers dumped their backpacks and fled. Advertisement A gym membership card left in one of the backpacks led cops to one suspect, Hussein Osman. Anti-terrorist police and specialist firearms officers quickly had the block of flats in Scotia Road, Tulse Hill under surveillance. Jean Charles de Menezes, 27, also lived there. 'Critical shot' 12 On the morning of July 22, Jean Charles de Menezes was followed by code-named officers from his home to Stockwell Station, which had been the suicide bombers' point of entry to the Tube network the previous day Credit: Handout 12 Officers followed Jean Charles down the escalators onto the platform Credit: Handout 12 The body of Jean Charles de Menezes, who was shot while the Tube carriage was packed with people Credit: Handout Advertisement Police marksman C5, who by then had been on the firearms squad for nearly 10 years, recalls: 'We were told, 'Today you may be called upon to use unusual tactics.' 'I think someone said, 'What do you mean, like critical shot?' 'And he said, 'All I'll say is don't question anything you're told because you will not have the full picture.' 'They gave us already-loaded fresh magazines with hollow-point ammunition. 'We were told that some of the devices could be small, like a suicide vest. It could be a belt with a bomb in it. It could be a coffee jar size that could go in a pocket. Advertisement 'When we left there, we were under no illusion how dangerous these bombers were. I have never spoken about this publicly. This will probably be the only time that I will talk about it, rather than take it to my grave C2 'We were told they were highly motivated, determined and deadly. We were also told we would only be used if one of the subjects was identified as one of the bombers.' He adds: 'For whatever reason, there had been some sort of cock up in the OP [Operational Support] van. 'Normally they would have had a good opportunity to take a photograph and could have said there and then if it was or wasn't him.' The other problem was that instructions had to come from a control room at Scotland Yard, instead of the unit's own commanders at SO19 – which led to long delays. Advertisement 'Edgy' On the morning of July 22, Jean Charles de Menezes was followed from his home as he boarded a bus to Brixton, where he got off, and then got back on again because the Underground station was closed. To police surveillance teams he appeared to be acting suspiciously. He then got off at Stockwell Station, which had been the suicide bombers' point of entry to the Tube network the previous day. C5 tells The Sun: 'It was looking more and more likely this was the subject. Over the radio he was described as edgy. 'In my head I kept thinking, it's escalating. At some point I felt we would have to intervene. Advertisement 'Then, of course, we got those immortal words, 'He must not be allowed to get on that Tube under any circumstances'. In my head I kept thinking, it's escalating. At some point I felt we would have to intervene. Then, of course, we got those immortal words, 'He must not be allowed to get on that Tube under any circumstances' C5 'We were deployed. As far as we were concerned, it was a positive ID. 'I remember going down the Tube, down the escalators, thinking, we're going to be too late, and the train's going to go in the tunnel, and I'm going to see a big flash, a big explosion.' C2 remembers: 'He's a minute, maybe two minutes ahead of me. So I had to run. 'I'm thinking I cannot believe that we have allowed this situation to develop. Advertisement 'We've allowed someone we believe is a suicide bomber into the tube network. To have a device on him. To initiate that device. 'My only way in was to leap over the barrier. I remember chasing down the escalator. I pulled my weapon and I put it behind my back. Charlie 5 says: 'It was a nightmare scenario because we all knew we'd lose radio comms. 'C2 and C12 were in front of me. We were not shouting 'Armed police'.' Charlie 5 admits: 'I've been involved in quite a few shooting incidents but nothing like this. Advertisement 'It was one of those days where you had to step into the arena, deal with what was in front of you and do what needed to be done.' 'Numb' 12 Jean Charles' final movements were shown in court Credit: PA:Press Association The underground carriage was still standing at the platform. C5 entered through the single door at the end. He says: 'At the inquest there was only about 17 people shown in the carriage at the time but it was absolutely jam-packed. 'It had been sitting on the platform for probably four or five minutes, and people just kept getting on. Advertisement 'I remember having to push my way through people moving through the carriage trying to identify the suspect, looking, where is he? 'As I got to the doors my two colleagues were there, so I knew I was in the right carriage. I was aware of someone standing up to the left.' Shots rang out. C2 says: 'A surveillance officer already in the carriage indicated who the subject was. 'I was convinced we were about to die. I fired and so did my colleague Charlie 12, and I kept firing until I was absolutely certain there was no further threat. 'I could not believe what had just happened. To be frank I was numb with shock because of the horror of what had occurred. Advertisement 'There was a relief that we were still standing and we had stopped an attack.' I was convinced we were about to die. I fired and so did my colleague Charlie 12, and I kept firing until I was absolutely certain there was no further threat C2 C5 adds: 'When the gunshot rang out my first thought was, we were going to blow up. This is it, there's an explosion, we're going to die. 'Then, a fraction of a second later, I thought, we're still here. It was a strange feeling. I felt kind of euphoric. It was weird, this adrenaline feeling of like, we have survived. 'But there was no celebration or anything. We knew we had taken a life. It's a horrible thing. 'I felt for both the officers, C2 and C12, what they had to do. Advertisement 'In that time, everybody was running off the Tube in mass panic, they were running and leaving their phones. 'We felt we were going on war footing from the bombings. We were under attack. And, you know, I think everyone else did as well. 'People had a heightened sense of what was going on around them. Could there be another bombing and could they be victims of it?' 'Something was not right' C2 was taken away from the scene in an unmarked police car, while C5 volunteered to stay to help an explosives officer in plain clothes check the body for bombs. Charlie 5 remembers: 'There were no devices. We laid him on the ground so I could check for vital signs. Advertisement 'He found a wallet and it had ID in it. The name on the ID was Jean Charles de Menezes. 'It wasn't the name of the subject, so along with the fact that he didn't have a device on him things just didn't seem to add up for me at that time. 'I didn't want to say this to anybody because I didn't want to start rumours, but in the back of my mind I started to feel something was not right.' C2 says: 'By the time I'd got home I was aware there was speculation regarding the identity of the person I had killed. I didn't get any sleep, and I still had massive tinnitus, a very, very loud ringing in my ears. "Next day I caught the Tube back to work and I was called into the chief superintendent's office. He told me that the man I shot was completely innocent. Advertisement 'I can't describe how I felt, it was the worst feeling ever. I killed an innocent man and I now know who that man is. I can't describe how I felt, it was the worst feeling ever. I killed an innocent man and I now know who that man is C2 "I am responsible, and I accept responsibility. As a firearms officer ultimately the decision to use force is yours. "But why were we in that position? Those people in command put me in that position, they also have to answer." The Crown Prosecution Service decided not to charge either C12 or C2 with any offence and they returned to duty. C5, who retired from the police in 2013, says: 'Twenty years on I think about this frequently. It's always in the news somewhere. It is burnt into my subconscious. Advertisement 'I don't think I have PTSD over it. I was a seasoned firearms officer. My training experience part-prepared me for mentally dealing with things. 'It has taken a lot of processing over the years. I think people forget, we're family men and we're trying to protect the public, not harm them.' The Metropolitan Police made changes in the wake of the tragic shooting at Stockwell. C5 says: 'There's a lot more fail-safe put in place in identifying suspects and communications have improved. 'Could it happen again? 'There's always a human element of errors so yes, it's possible, but hopefully not with all the fail-safe they have now.' Advertisement Attack on London: Hunting the 7/7 bombers is on Netflix from July 1. 12 Matozinhos Otone Da Silva and Maria Otone de Menezes, the parents of Brazilian electrician Jean Charles de Menezes, at the scene of the shooting in Stockwell Tube station Credit: PA 12 An emotional Patricia da Silva Armani, cousin of Jean Charles de Menezes, at a press conference around the time of the inquest into his death Credit: EPA 12 Jean Charles's cousin Alessandro Pereira delivers a letter and a photograph to 10 Downing Street Credit: Reuters 12 A memorial to Jean Charles de Menezes which was set up outside Stockwell Tube station in the wake of the shooting Credit: Times Newspapers Ltd Advertisement
CBS News
16-05-2025
- CBS News
Boston school bus driver had expired certificate before crash that killed 5-year-old boy
The school bus driver involved in the crash that killed a 5-year-old boy in Boston last month has resigned. The city and Boston Public Schools said the driver, Jean Charles, had an expired school bus certificate at the time of the incident. On April 28, 5-year-old Lens Joseph was hit by the bus on Washington Street in Hyde Park. He was a kindergarten student at UP Academy in Dorchester. His uncle told WBZ-TV Lens was hit when he tried to cross the road after being dropped off by the school bus. Charles was employed by Transdev. Under its contract with Boston Public Schools, Transdev hires, trains and is responsible for ensuring drivers have the required training and certification, the city said. "The death of a child is a horrible tragedy that no family should have to endure," a Boston Public Schools spokesperson said. "In the hours immediately after the tragedy, BPS Transportation and Transdev worked with the law enforcement on scene and Transdev immediately placed the driver on leave." Driver resigns before hearing A due process hearing was scheduled on Wednesday, but Charles resigned just prior to the start of it, the city and BPS said. Transdev notified BPS that Charles had an expired school bus certificate after the crash. He had the necessary qualifications to renew it but did not. Charles had worked at Transdev since May 2023. An investigation into the crash is ongoing and is being led by the Suffolk County District Attorney's office and Boston police. The city and BPS said they have been working to support the Joseph family and the UP Academy Dorchester school community.
Metro
30-04-2025
- Metro
How innocent Jean Charles de Menezes was shot dead by police 20 years ago
On July 22, 20 years ago, electrician Jean Charles de Menezes left his home in Tulse Hill to fix a broken alarm. Stopping to pick up a copy of Metro, the Brazilian national descended the stairs of Stockwell Tube Station and boarded the next train. Unbeknownst to him, three officers – named only as Hotel 1, 2 and 3 – sat themselves around him. Moments later, he was shot seven times in the head by police, leaving his body 'unrecognisable'. His devastated mum Maria has been pushing for prosecutions ever since, saying her son was 'educated and civilised' and 'always respected law and order'. But what happened in those fatal few moments on the Tube, and why have the officers have not faced any disciplinary measures? They wrongly thought the Jean Charles was part of the previous day's failed second wave of bomb attacks three weeks after the 7/7 terror attacks. An address in Scotia Road, Tulse Hill, was written on a gym membership card found inside one of the bags where an undetonated bomb was hidden. Police carried out extensive surveillance in the area, where Jean Charles lived in one of those flats with his two cousins. As he left to respond to the faulty alarm, officers believed Jean Charles looked like the CCTV images of one of the bombing suspects Osman Hussain. Cressida Dick, who later became Metropolitan Police Commissioner, ordered Jean Charles be prevented from entering the London Underground. 22 July 2005 Jean Charles de Menezes shot dead by police at Stockwell Tube station 17 July 2006 CPS says no officers will be prosecuted, but Met Police will be tried for breaching health and safety laws 1 November 2007 Met Police found guilty of breaching health and safety laws and fined 22 October 2008 Inquest under way – coroner rules out unlawful killing verdict a month later 12 December 2008 Inquest jury returns open verdict 16 November 2009 Met Police settles damages claim with family 10 June 2015 De Menezes family take legal challenge to European Court of Human Rights 30 March 2016 Family lose challenge over decision not to charge any police officer over the shooting Officers followed him onto a bus and thought he was acting suspicious once he arrived at Brixton Station and found it was closed due to the previous day's bombings. Jean Charles boarded the bus again to Stockwell Station, went down to the platform and got on the train. Firearms officers boarded the train, with varying accounts of whether or not they spoke to the electrician or not. They had all sat around him, and when Jean Charles stood up, an officer codenamed Hotel 3 grabbed, pinned his arms against his torso and pushed him back into his seat. It is unclear what happens next. Two officers fired a total of 11 shots between them. Seven of them landed in Jean Charles's head and his body was left 'unreconisable'. Police said they had been told to fire directly at suspected suicide bomber's heads – which the Muslim Council of Britain described as a 'shoot-to-kill policy'. Later investigation found the event had the 'hallmarks of a special forces operation, rather than a police one'. No officers were prosecuted, but the Metropolitan Police force was fined for breaching health and safety laws. Jean Charles's family took the force to the European Court of Human Rights in 2016 over the decision to not charge any officers. But the family lost the challenge, with the force saying the circumstances around his death 'came at a time of unprecedented terrorist threat to London'. They have also been subject to numerous public inquiries, and two separate reports by the Independent Police Complaints Commission. The Met said: 'No officer sets out on duty intent on ending a life. Our sole purpose is the complete opposite – the protection and preservation of life – and we have taken extensive action to address the causes of this tragedy.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Man's barefoot shows how filthy the London Underground is MORE: Porn star 'murdered couple, froze remains then took them to Clifton Suspension Bridge' MORE: Moment Sycamore Gap tree is 'felled by two friends' shown to court
Daily Mirror
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Jean Charles de Menezes actor speaks on role of a lifetime in new Disney+ drama
The young Brazilian actor making his TV debut playing Jean Charles de Menezes has spoken of the 'honour' he feels playing the part and also how he has spoken to his real life family for inspiration and guidance for the role. In the new Disney+ drama Edison Alcaide plays Jean Charles the 27-year-old Brazilian electrician living in London with his cousins in the summer of 2005. On July 22, a botched police surveillance officers believe he could be a failed suicide bomber from the day before. At Stockwell station firearms officers storm onto the carriage shot him in the head seven times at point-blank range. Edison, 36, said: 'To have this as my debut felt so much. The first thing I felt when I joined this project was honour. I felt it was such an honour to play this man and also to help bring light to what really happened and who he truly was as a person. I just felt really honoured by the responsibility of playing this character. I felt, and still do feel, really connected to Jean Charles. We have so much in common, not just that he was a Brazilian man living in London. I built this sort of connection with him while filming this project. I just feel so much love for this man and so much love for his family as well. 'So then I felt even more heartbroken; because the more I learned about him, the more I found out about him, I just kept thinking of the injustice. He was truly such a nice guy in the sense of how he cared for his family and his friends and the way he approached life.' Whilst in the UK Edison has met with Jean Charles' cousins who still live in London. 'I met them personally and it was a very intense and emotional conversation we had, but they were really open. I consider them fighters and resilient, the cousins were really helpful and the information I gathered about who this man was, I could never have found this information anywhere else. Having the conversation with the family was crucial I believe.' On the most difficult part of filming the project, Edison added: 'Shooting his death scene was very difficult. First of all, there were so many legal things to be respected, and they were extremely careful, thanks to all the research, to show exactly what had happened. That scene, that whole scene, was filmed meticulously — from the writing to production. It was very difficult. It was very emotional. It was a very heavy day on set for everyone. But, you know, we were just trying to do it as respectfully as we could. It was hard not to think about his family, which made it even more emotional. 'He had no idea he was being perceived as a suspect. So it truly is heartbreaking. People have to realise the importance of this story. I hope I can help set the record straight.' Edison is the first in his family to enter the acting profession, having been born to a Brazilian father and Spanish mother who raised him in Curitiba, South Brazil. He honed his craft at both Kingston College and the Identity School of Acting, having arrived in London aged just 18 years old. Edison speaks fluent English, Portuguese and Spanish.
