May 7 2021 At least 25 people were killed, including a policeman, and several police officers and residents were injured when a gun battle broke out with suspects while police were on duty in a slum in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in the early hours of Saturday morning local time, Brazil’s G1 news network reported.
Police were reportedly investigating a drug cartel that recruited young children to commit crimes, which, according to court documents, had 21 members. The police deployed 250 police officers, two helicopters and four armoured vehicles.
When the police entered the slum, the suspect tried to escape from the platform and exchanged fire with the police, resulting in the death of many people, two civilians and three policemen were shot and wounded, one of whom was killed in the fighting.
Nearby residents said the actual death toll was more than the 25 reported, sparking protests.
Police arrested six people and said the criminal group had military-scale weapons, including rifles, submachine guns, grenades, bulletproof vests and other military equipment, the report said.
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, has a long history of drug violence, and the incident is the deadliest in police operations since 2016.
