22 killed in bloody raid on Rio favela
An anti-crime operation in a Rio de Janeiro slum left at least 22 people dead on Tuesday, officials said, a year after the bloodiest-ever favela raid in the city’s history.
A further seven people were hospitalised, according to health officials, while police said one of the victims was a female bystander felled by a stray bullet.
Military police said they came under gunfire as they approached the northern Rio slum of Vila Cruzeiro in the early morning hours with the mission of locating and arresting “criminal leaders”.
The toll doubled from the initially reported 11 deaths as more bodies were uncovered in the aftermath.
Police said at least 11 of the dead were “suspects”.
At least 19 schools in the area closed because of the gunfire, residents said.
Police helicopters were also struck by bullets during the deadly exchange.
Police often carry out raids in Rio’s teeming slums in a bid to fight drug trafficking.
This time, they said they were looking for gang leaders from other parts of Brazil hiding out in Vila Cruzeiro.
“It was an operation planned for weeks, but we identified criminal movements during the night and decided to intervene,” said team member Colonel Luiz Henrique Marinho Pires.
He said the suspects were readying to move to another favela.
This was the deadliest police raid since 28 people died a year ago in a favela called Jacarezinho — the largest such toll in the city’s history.
Vila Cruzeiro, a hillside favela not far from the city’s international airport, was also the scene of a violent confrontation in February, when police killed eight people.
Tuesday’s pre-dawn raid targeted the Comando Vermelho, or Red Command, one of Brazil’s most powerful crime gangs “responsible for more than 80% of the shootings in Rio”, a police spokesman told TV Globo.
Officers seized 13 assault rifles, four pistols, 20 motorcycles and 10 cars. No arrests were reported.
The operation was criticised for its use of overwhelming force and the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office announced the launch of a probe into police conduct.
“Another massacre. Schools closed, thousands of people terrorised,” tweeted left-wing city councilman Tarcisio Motta.