Death toll rises to three after police action in Rio

The number of deaths rose to three during a Military Police operation, this Thursday morning (24), in the north of Rio de Janeiro. All were killed by gunshots to the head.

The city of Duque de Caxias, through the Municipal Health Department and the management of the Hospital Municipalizado Adão Pereira Nunes (HMAPN), reported that the patient Geneilson Eustaque Ribeiro, 49 years old, was admitted to the unit at 10:46 am, this Thursday, transferred from Dr. Moacyr Rodrigues do Carmo Municipal Hospital, victim of a gunshot wound to the skull, intubated and with a condition considered very serious.

HMAPN management reported that the patient was taken directly to the surgical center for a decompressive craniectomy procedure, but, due to the severity of the injury, he did not survive and died.

The operation in the so-called Israel Complex, in Cordovil, began early in the morning. According to the Military Police spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Claudia Moraes, the police encountered great resistance from the criminals who dominate the territory.

“When the Military Police entered (the community), there was a strong confrontation, and the criminals decided to shoot in the direction of the roads (lanes), victimizing innocent people who had nothing to do with it,” he stated.

The shooting caused the interruption of traffic on Avenida Brasil and the circulation of trains, buses and BRT throughout the region. Schools and health centers were closed in the region. According to the PM spokesperson, upon realizing the consequences of the clashes for the population and circulation in the city, the police decided to suspend the operation.

“Of course, this suspension is not immediate. It still took some time for these police officers to be able to leave the community safely,” said the spokeswoman.

She explained that the criminals’ reaction was above what the police expected. “This operation started in Cidade Alta, which is an area where you don’t have this strong reaction. We did not have the intelligence to signal this issue at that time”, explained the lieutenant colonel.