Cops kill 13 suspected drug traffickers in bloody shootout in Rio as police killings in Brazil hit a record high
- WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES
- Confrontation broke out when officers were greeted by gunfire as they approached the group in the Rio slum neighborhood of Santa Teresa
- Cops returned fire, killing 11 at the scene and injuring several others
- Death toll later increased to 13 after two wounded suspects died in the hospital
- No police were hurt in the shootout
- In December, Human Rights Watch said in a report that police killings were at a ‘record high’ in Rio
Brazilian police shot dead at least 13 suspected drug traffickers on Friday during a shootout in a slum in Rio de Janeiro.
The confrontation broke out when officers were greeted by gunfire as they approached where the group were hiding in the bohemian neighborhood of Santa Teresa, according to police spokesman Col. Mauro Fliess.
The cops returned fire, killing 11 at the scene and injuring several others. Police said later Friday that the death toll had increased to 13 after two wounded suspects died in the hospital.
He said that no police were hurt.
Brazilian police shot dead at least 13 suspected drug traffickers on Friday during a shootout in a slum in Rio de Janeiro. Photos of the scene show a pile of bloody bodies in the back of a pick up truck
Brazilian military police search several men during an operation targeting drug traffickers in the Santa Teresa neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Friday, Feb. 8
Brazilian police block access to the scene of a confrontation between alleged traffickers and a special operations unit in the Santa Teresa neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil,
Officers seized drugs, rifles, guns and ammunition during the anti-drug trafficking operation.
Photos of the scene show a pile of bloody bodies in the back of a pick up truck.
-
REVEALED: Slain mafia solicitor gunned down in front of a…
‘A tsunami of ice’ Feds seize record setting 1.7 TONS of…
Share this article
At one point a shot was heard ringing out from a house and moments later two heavily armed officers were seen carrying two bodies shrouded in blood-soaked sheets to the truck.
Another photo, taken by The Associated Press, showed a desperate woman running down a narrow street and the photographer said she was yelling that the police were getting ready to ‘execute’ people inside a nearby house.
A woman yells that the police is going to execute several alleged traffickers during an operation
A woman carries a baby as she walks past police searching several men, during an operation targeting drug traffickers in the Santa Teresa neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro is one of the world’s most violent cities with frequent shootouts between police and drug gangs and an annual homicide rate of around 50 per 100,000 inhabitants.
Brazil’s new far-right President Jair Bolsonaro campaigned with promises to crackdown on rising crime and said that police who kill criminals should be given medals not face prosecution.
In December, Human Rights Watch said in a report that police killings were at a ‘record high’ in Rio.
‘Military-style security operations that leave a trail of death in poor neighborhoods do not enhance public security,’ the report said. ‘On the contrary, they make communities fear the police and much less likely to collaborate with the police in the fight against crime.’
‘While Rio police sometimes kill people in legitimate self-defense, research from Human Rights Watch and other groups shows that many killings are, in reality, extrajudicial executions,’ the report said.
Source: Read Full Article