- At least 18 people were killed in a police operation in one of the largest favelas in the Brazilian metropolis of Rio de Janeiro.
- The police said 16 of them were suspected criminals. One of the other two victims was a police officer.
- The Brazilian news portal “G1” reported on a killed resident of the “Complexo do Alemão” in northern Rio.
The aim of the action in the complex with around 70,000 residents, which consists of several favelas, was a gang that is said to have committed vehicle and cargo thefts and robbed banks.
“He would have preferred them not to react, but unfortunately they preferred to attack the police,” police spokesman Ronaldo Oliveira said at a press conference. The operation began early in the morning, and around 400 police officers – supported by four helicopters and ten armored vehicles – were involved.
Most deaths from police operations worldwide
In May, 24 people were killed in a police operation in the Vila Cruzeiro slum in Rio. More than a year ago, police officers killed at least 28 suspected members of drug gangs in the Jacarezinho favela in the bloodiest operation in Rio’s history.
Powerful gangs struggle in the slums for control of drug trafficking and protection money deals. The violence repeatedly spills over to other parts of Rio and hits bystanders. In no other country in the world do so many people die in police operations as in Brazil.