During a protest against the bus fare price hike of 10 cents in Rio de Janeiro, a Brazilian camera man working for the Band TV network, was hit in the head with a flare and has been declared brain dead, according to the Associated Press.
The Brazilian television station said one of its cameramen was officially declared brain-dead on Monday shortly after being injured during a protest last week in Rio which turned violent, the AP reported.
Band TV released a statement naming the camera man, Santiago Andrade, who was 49-years-old, and said he remained in a coma and was on life support even though doctors have confirmed he is brain-dead, according to the AP.
During the protests on Thursday of last week, Andrade was hit in the head by a flare which was allegedly fired by a protester, according to video footage which shows the incident when it occurred, the AP reported.
A demonstrator who said he did not fire the flare, but gave to someone else to fire, has turned himself into the police, according to the AP. The investigation is still underway.
On Monday, a small group of protesters again gathered to protest the bus fare price hike while television cameraman and photographers gathered at the spot where Andrade was hit by the flare to pay tribute, the AP reported.
Since last June, millions of Brazilians have taken to the streets protesting against the government and demanding better schools, health care and to question the billions being spent to host this year's World Cup and the 2016 Olympics, according to the AP.
