They shot him, gave him kicks, and drove away

On 3 July 2020, Mabiala Rogério Ferreira Mienandi, called by his beloved ones by the name Kilson, an 15 years old boy, and his friends, were in the Condomínio, a field where teenagers spend their time practicing sport, in the Mabore neighborhood, Cazenga municipality, Luanda province. According to witnesses who spoke to Amnesty International and OMUNGA, at around 7 am, a police vehicle approached the camp and, without giving any warning, the officers started shooting at the boys, who ran in all directions to hide. Kilson, however, fell to the ground. According to witnesses, three policemen got out of the car and approached Kilson, gave the boy three kicks, and when they realized he was bleeding, they went back to the car and drove away. People then started shouting “they killed him”. Kilson’s friends came back and saw that he had been hit in the head. Neighbors rescued Kilson and took him to the hospital where he died. After that day, young people in the neighborhood avoid going to the field to play fearing that the police will show up again.

Kilson had a group of friends who spent the day rapping, reading, and exercising. Since March, those were the kids’ pass-time activities as their schools closed due to COVID-19. Up to date, the youth have not received any information about the restart of classes. According to his friends, Kilson dreamed of being a soccer player and singer.