At least 21 people have been shot dead and seven injured during a police raid on a favela in Rio de Janeiro to capture the leaders of a drug trafficking organization.
Among the dead was a woman who was hit by a stray bullet in the exchange of gunfire between members of the gang and police in the favela in Vila Cruzeiro.
The death toll places Rio among the deadliest police operations in recent history. It comes a year after a raid on Jacarezinho’s favela that left 28 dead and sparked allegations of abuse and summary executions. The incident sparked protests and also ignited the debate over the proper use of police force in Rio, where a common saying is, “A good criminal is a dead criminal.”
A few weeks after the attack on Jacarezinho, a stray bullet struck a young pregnant woman during a police raid on another favela, and her death provoked further outrage.
Residents said on social media that a heavy shooting started in the dark at 4 a.m. in a wooded area next to Vila Cruzeiro, causing fear and panic in the slum. Shooting began again in the afternoon, a Reuters photographer near the scene said.
Seven injured were taken to hospital, including a police officer.
The police operation, backed by a helicopter, targeted the leaders of Rio’s largest organized crime gang, the Comando Vermelho (Red Command), who, according to police intelligence, were hiding in Vila Cruzeiro.
“It was a very intense confrontation,” Colonel Ivan Blaz, a spokesman for the militarized police that led the operation, told reporters.
Outside a local hospital where the victims were moved, Vila Cruzeiro residents mourned the loss of family and friends and protested.
Rio State Attorney’s Office said in a statement that it had opened a criminal investigation. They gave 10 days to the military police to provide details about the operation, indicating which officers were responsible for each death and the justification for the use of lethal force, according to the statement.
The operation was carried out jointly by the military police and the federal highway police. Police confiscated 16 vehicles, 13 automatic rifles, as well as pistols and grenades, according to the police statement.
The dead woman was identified as Gabriele Cunha, 41, who was hit by a stray bullet while living in a neighboring neighborhood called Chatuba. Schools did not open classes.
Earlier this year, Brazil’s Supreme Court set a number of conditions for police to raid Rio’s favelas as a means of reducing police killings and human rights violations. The court ruled that lethal force should only be used in situations where all other means have been exhausted and when necessary to protect life, and gave police 180 days to install devices for record audio and video on your uniforms and vehicles.