At least 25 people are killed during gun battle between police and a drug gang in a city favela in operation involving 200 officers
- Rio de Janeiro’s Civil Police announced 25 people, including a cop, were killed during a shootout on Thursday morning
- The fallen cop was identified as André Frias. The 45-year-old was assigned to the Drug Enforcement Office
- The Civil Police was investigating a drug trafficking gang in the slum of Jacarezinho when it was attacked with gunfire
- The shootout left two cops wounded as well as three residents, including two men aboard a train that had stopped at a neighborhood subway station
As many as 25 people, including a cop who was shot in the head, have been reported dead after the police and a gang investigated for drug trafficking were involved in a broad daylight shooting in a Rio de Janeiro favela on Thursday.
The Civil Police of Rio de Janeiro were in the midst of an operation against members of a drug trafficking ring when they were met with fire in the slum of Jacarezinho.
The fallen officer was identified as André Frias, 45, according to Brazilian newspaper Correio Braziliense. Frias was assigned to the Drug Enforcement Office.
Authorities said two cops were injured in the gun battle.
Correio Braziliense reported that at least two suspects were killed in the shootout.
A man is pushed on a wheelchair after he was shot in the right arm during a shootout between the police and a drug trafficking gang in Rio de Janeiro’s slum of Jacarezinho on Thursday. At least 25 people have been reported dead, including a 45-year-old police officer
Police get out of an armored vehicle during an operation against alleged drug traffickers in Jacarezinho, a favela of Rio de Janeiro, on Thursday
A train passengers sits back on a chair awaiting treatment after he was injured during a shooting in the northern Rio de Janeiro slum of Jacarezinho
Rafael M. Silva, 33 and Humberto Gomes V. Duarte, 20, were riding inside a Line 2 train wagon when they were shot while the train was stopped at a neighborhood subway station.
Silva was taken Salgado Filho Hospital, but abandoned the facility for unknown reasons. Gomes V. Duarte was rushed to Hospital da Marinha and was listed in stable condition.
A resident caught in the crossfire was struck in the foot while sitting inside their home.
It’s the highest amount of casualties reported during a police investigation since online portal Fogo Cruzado started tracking armed conflicts in July 2016.
The police was investigating 21 gang members for allegedly recruiting children to commit crimes on its behalf. The minors were tasked with robbing passengers on train cars and platforms, as well as peddling drugs in the streets.
Due to the pandemic, the Supreme Court in June 2020 issued an order that suspended the execution of police raids in favelas. Only under extreme circumstances were large scales operations allowed to take place.
Brazilian online news portal G1 reported that the Civil Police had identified 21 gang members through phone taps approved by a court.
The gang members were apparently armed with military gear and protected their turf with an arsenal of grenades, guns and rifles.
The station’s news helicopter showed armed suspects running away from the police by jumping over the roofs of several buildings in the slum.
Residents in the northern Rio de Janeiro slum told the outlet that casualties far exceed the 25 initially announced by authorities, who reportedly confiscated cellphone from individuals who were sending text messages to alert neighborhood drug dealers.
A man said that at least two people were shot dead after they barged into the home he shares with his grandmother.
A section of the floor inside on the rooms was stained with blood.
‘There never is respect for the residents. This is a population, but I think they think they are in Iraq,’ he said. ‘We are arranging for the sale (of the house) as soon as possible. It is no longer possible to live within the community.’