National Republican Guard officer Hugo Pires will receive €116,880 in compensation after being shot during a traffic check in Cernache, Coimbra.
The financial payout was published on Wednesday in Portugal's official gazette, Diário da República, after medical authorities determined that Pires was left with a 100 per cent total disability following the incident.
Traffic patrol shooting in Cernache
The shooting occurred on June 15, 2019, while Pires was serving at the Traffic Detachment of Figueira da Foz, a coastal city in central Portugal's Coimbra District.
Pires and his fellow patrol officers ordered a car carrying a driver and two passengers to stop during a routine traffic inspection in the parish of Cernache.
The driver refused to pull over and fled the scene. During the pursuit, the motorist suddenly executed a U-turn and drove back directly toward Pires.
As the vehicle passed the National Republican Guard patrol car, the driver opened fire into the vehicle, striking Pires and leaving a projectile lodged in his right jawbone.
Hospital treatment and retirement
Following the attack, the injured officer was rushed to the Coimbra University Hospital Center, where he underwent emergency surgical treatment to address the gunshot injury.
While recovering in the hospital, Pires was visited by Eduardo Cabrita, who was serving as Portugal's Minister of Internal Administration at the time of the shooting.
The severe health consequences and long-term sequelae of the bullet wound ultimately forced Pires to leave active service, leading to his formal retirement in December 2023.
Police investigation and vehicle surrender
Several hours after the shooting incident in Cernache, the owner of the vehicle involved in the attack turned himself in to authorities.
The car owner presented himself at a station operated by the Public Security Police, Portugal's urban law enforcement agency, in the coastal town of Peniche.
