Deadly Mistake

The fast-moving investigation into the London bombings was marred by the death of Brazilian Jean Charles de Menezes, seen here in an identification photo, who was shot to death by police officers who mistook him for a terror suspect.

Menezes was followed by plainclothes officers after leaving an apartment that was under surveillance July 22, 2005. Wearing a padded jacket, he boarded a bus and traveled to the nearby Stockwell subway station. Police said they ordered him to stop, but witnesses said Menezes instead ran into a subway car, where officers shot him eight times.

Jean Charles de Menezes is seen in a recent photo taken in London.

Menezes had been working abroad as an electrician in hopes of buying a cattle ranch in Brazil. While his relatives said he was working legally in Britain and had no reason to fear police, the British Broadcasting Corp. reported that Menezes' visa had expired, suggesting a reason for why he ran.

Maria Otone de Menezes, center, mother of Jean Charles de Menezes, is comforted by relatives at her home near Gonzaga, Brazil, July 24, 2005.

"I'm totally outraged with the police. How can they kill workers?" said Maria, heaving with tears. "This is a pain that nothing is going to ever cure."

Matuzinho Otone da Silva cries over the death of his son Jean Charles de Menezes, at his home near Gonzaga, Brazil, July 24, 2005.

Matzinhos said his son selected Britain because he got a work visa there after being rejected by the United States. The father warned his son that it might be dangerous living in England, but Menezes told relatives in his first visit back to Brazil that he was happy, working hard, had friends and felt safe. His father recalled him saying: "It's good there, nobody walks around with a gun."

Maria Otone de Menezes, left, and her husband, Matuzinho, right, holding a picture of their son Jean Charles de Menezes, speak at their home near Gonzaga, Brazil, July 24, 2005.

Luciede and Sueli, cousins of Jean Charles de Menezes, sit outside Menezes' parents' home near Gonzaga, Brazil, July 24, 2005.

A steady stream of relatives gathered at the family home. They remembered a bright young man who managed to learn English in about nine months in a foreign country, but was still devoted to his hometown.

A card and flowers sit outside the Stockwell Underground station where Jean Charles de Menezes was shot dead, July 24, 2005, in London.

The point-blank shooting of Menezes in front of horrified commuters shocked many in Britain, where most police officers do not carry guns. London Mayor Ken Livingstone drew a hard line before the mistake became clear, declaring that for anyone believed to be a suicide bomber it was going to be a "shoot-to-kill policy." But he softened his tone after police said the man had nothing to do with the transit attacks.

A man in a Brazilian soccer team shirt looks at a photograph of Jean Charles de Menezes outside the Stockwell Underground station where he was fatally shot, July 24, 2005, in London.

Local resident Thresa Ayme stands with others for a two minute silence in memory of Jean Charles de Menezes outside Stockwell station, July 24, 2005, in London.

People gather for a two minute silence in memory of Jean Charles de Menezes outside Stockwell station, July 24, 2005, in London.

Residents of Gonzaga, Brazil, protest the killing of Jean Charles de Menezes, July 25, 2005.

Brazil's government strongly protested the shooting, saying it "was shocked and perplexed" by Menezes' death. "We cannot recover the life of the Brazilian citizen who died but it is very important to know all the details," Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim, who was visiting London, said after meeting with a British official.

Jean Charles de Menezes, center, poses with relatives in this undated photo captured from television.