Léo Áquilla was not injured after a motorcyclist fired at the car she was travelling in São Paulo on the night of 26 September 2024, according to a report published the next day. Police registered the case as attempted homicide and were investigating to identify the shooter. Áquilla said she had received threats linked to her LGBTQ+ advocacy; the report did not establish that investigators had determined the shooting’s motive.
What happened to Léo Áquilla?
Folha reported on 27 September 2024 that Áquilla, then a candidate for São Paulo city council, said a man on a motorcycle fired at the car in which she was travelling the previous night. Her adviser was also in the car. Neither was injured, the report said.
In her account to Folha, Áquilla said she saw a movement consistent with someone drawing a weapon, then heard a shot that broke the car window. Those details were reported as her account of the encounter, not as an independently established reconstruction. Folha’s report described the incident as an attack by gunfire.
What did police report about the investigation?
As of Folha’s 27 September 2024 report, the case had been registered as attempted homicide at the 73rd Police District in Jaçanã. The report said forensic work had been requested and police inquiries were underway to identify the perpetrator. The sources cited here do not establish what happened in the investigation after that report.
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Is an anti-LGBTQ motive established?
No police determination of motive appears in the cited report. Áquilla told Folha she had received threats because of her opposition to transphobia and LGBTfobia and her support for the LGBTQIA+ community. Her reported account provides context for the anti-LGBTQ framing, but does not by itself establish why the shooting occurred or that investigators classified it as a hate crime. Folha quoted Áquilla saying: “Tenho recebido muitas ameaças porque eu combato mesmo transfobia, eu combato LGBTfobia, eu defendo mesmo a comunidade e aí eu vivo recebendo ameaças.”
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.São Paulo’s LGBTfobia reporting channel
A separate municipal measure provides general context, not evidence about Áquilla’s case. In an announcement dated 17 May 2024, the city said it had established a direct contact channel operating 24 hours between the Municipal Civil Guard (GCM) and its LGBTI+ policy coordination for reports of LGBTfobia. The announcement said the GCM already handled such incidents and that the coordination could request support, prompting dispatch of the nearest vehicle. It does not say that the channel was used in this shooting. The city’s announcement also summarizes relevant legal context, including municipal administrative sanctions for discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity; it is not a substitute for the underlying laws or legal advice.
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