05 January 2008
Walter Lessa de Oliveira
Shooting
Walter Lessa de Oliveira, a cameraman employed by TV Assembléia, a public TV service operated by the Alagoas state assembly, was gunned down while at a bus stop on the outskirts of Maceió.
Citing several witnesses, the police have identified a drug trafficker known by the nickname of “Aranha” (Spider) as the killer. “Aranha” allegedly pulled up in a car alongside Lessa and fired four shots at him. Hit in the head, Lessa died immediately. The most plausible theory is that the shooting was in revenge for the fact Lessa had in the past filmed footage of “Aranha” that was shown on state television.
An alternative theory that has been suggested is that Lessa was shot while resisting an attempted robbery, but this is not supported by the witness statements taken by the police, and nothing was stolen from him.
Born near Rio de Janeiro, Lessa used to head the Alagoas Union of Professional Journalists and worked for TV Gazeta for more than 20 years. Of late, he had worked for the Maceió Centre for Higher Education as well as TV Assembléia.
