Kátia de Sousa Martins, 43 years old, president of the 1º de Janeiro Settlement Residents Association in the rural area of Castanhal, in Pará, was shot to death on the evening of May the 04th, 2017, inside her own house and in front of her 6 year old grandson.

The 1º de Janeiro Settlement had been established around 2012 and was the home for 94 families. The Residents’ Association was responsible for dividing the land between the families, creating the rules for the Settlement and working for the interests of the collective.

In the 22nd of May of 2017 the police arrested 3 men and 1 woman under suspicion of being involved with the crime.

Apparently, the group is formed by settlers who opposed Kátia’s leadership in the  Residents Association. Witnesses declared they used to criticize and threaten her and that the violence escalated after Kátia was re-elected as the Association president and one of the suspects lost his land for violating the Association’s rules. In order to keep the land, he was supposed to keep a residence and produce crops on it.