Former Brazil Fire Chief Accused of Killing Drug Users in Alleged Retaliation to Son's Killing

Drug prohibition feeds negative stereotypes of those who use drugs, making them targets for many kinds of abuse. A former fire chief in Brazil, Jorge Luiz Thais Martins, is suspected of killing at least eight drug users in the neighborhood where his son was shot dead in a robbery attempt. "Police are investigating the possibility the crimes were committed as vengeance," said Giovani Santos, a spokesman for the public safety department. He said Martins is being investigated in part because a drug user who survived a recent attempted killing identified Martins as the shooter.