Rio de Janeiro Police Raid Kills at Least 18 in Alemao Favelas

A Rio de Janeiro police raid in Alemao favelas resulted in the death of at least 18 people on Thursday, according to the spokesperson for the state's military police.

ABC News Go reported that residents were carrying about 10 bodies as bystanders shouted, "we want peace," while residents noted that those who tried to help the injured were threatened to be arrested.

One woman said that police were calling it an operation, but it was a "massacre inside." She added that they were also not allowed to help.

Ivan Blas, the spokesperson for the state's military police, said at a press conference that the death toll for the police raid in Alemao favelas is still being counted.

The force earlier said that an officer was killed, adding that the police raid was targeting a criminal group responsible for stolen vehicles and cargo.

The criminal group was claimed to be in Complexo do Alemao. It was reported to have robbed banks as well as invaded close neighborhoods.

Police Raid in Alemao Favelas

Associated Press News noted that videos posted on social media show fire exchanges between criminals as well as a police helicopter flying low on the favelas. Rio police have used helicopters to shoot at targets while criminals were shooting from their favelas at the aircraft.

The police spokesperson noted that some of the criminals wore uniforms to disguise themselves as police officers.

Ronaldo Oliveira, an investigator of Rio's police, said that they would rather the suspects not reacted, adding that they could have arrested 15 or 14 of them. Oliveira said that the suspects chose to fire at their police force.

Rio de Janeiro Gov. Cláudio Castro shared his sentiments regarding the police officer's death and vowed to continue to fight crime.

"We will not back down from the mission of ensuring peace and security for the people of our state," Castro tweeted in Portuguese.

Talíria Petrone, a federal lawmaker for Rio, responded to the governor's tweet, calling for the halt of the "genocidal policy." She added that the failed public security police leaves residents and police on the ground en masse.

Rio de Janeiro Police

The United Nations Human Rights Office has strongly expressed its criticisms against the police raid in Rio de Janeiro amid allegations of abuse and extrajudicial executions.

A raid in Rio's Vila Cruzeiro favela in May have seen the death of more than 20 people, as reported by BBC News. It was considered the deadliest police operation in the city's history.

Residents claimed that police killed people who wanted to surrender and entered homes without a warrant. Meanwhile, police have denied those claims, saying that officers have engaged in self-defense.

One of the city's largest slums, Jacarezinho, had 200 heavily armed police officers for its police operation with an armored helicopter with a sniper.

The area is reported to be dominated by Comando Vermelho or Red Command, Brazil's largest criminal organization.

One resident said that there were boys who were cornered in the house and wanted to surrender. However, the police killed them, with some of the suspects killed in front of the witnesses.

The U.N. human rights office then called for an independent investigation of police operations in Brazil.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

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