Between 1 January and 1 May, Instituto Fogo Cruzado mapped 68 people hit by stray bullets in Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Region: 22 died and 46 were injured. Of the 68 victims, 36 were hit during police actions or operations: 13 died and 23 were injured. Among the 68 victims, 11 were shot during disputes between armed groups: 6 died and 5 were injured. The Fogo Cruzado Institute also recorded an alarming increase: the number of child victims of armed violence — in the first four months of this year — is already greater than that recorded in the entire year 2022. There were 5 children killed and 9 injured in the Metropolitan Region.
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Our Analysis:
These numbers are linked to the war for dominance of the communities, mainly in the North and West Zones of the city, which has claimed daily victims in the confrontation between criminals. The main criminal group of the State, Red Command (CV), has been trying to take over the communities of Fubá, between Cascadura and Campinho and Praça Seca, also in the North Zone, dominated by militia groups. Traffickers have also carried out daily attacks in the communities of Gardênia Azul, Anil, and Rio das Pedras, in the West Zone, also dominated by militias, with the aim of expelling the militiamen and obtaining another source of income. To dominate the communities, traffickers rely on men from various communities, heavily armed, mainly with rifles. The purpose is to take over the community and control the sale of gas cylinders, mineral water, cable TV signal and a trade fee to keep the services. In addition to dominating drug trafficking.
27/04/2023 – A man who had just got married was robbed while driving with his grandfather on Rua Ana Leonídia, in the Engenho de Dentro neighborhood, North Zone. The victim, a businessman, lives in São Paulo and came to Rio to formalize the union at a notary. They were approached by heavily armed criminals with vests who intercepted them and stole the vehicle.
28/04/2023 – The driver of a truck with deliveries from an e-commerce company was kidnapped and taken to Complexo do Chapadão, North Zone. After unloading the cargo, criminals released the driver, but as the vehicle was stuck in the mud, he needed to call for help. According to the company’s director, he asked the Military Police for help, and they instructed him to return to the favela, without police support.
28/04/2023 – A 42-year-old motorcycle driver was killed in Praça Seca, West Zone. The victim’s brother told the police that he was on Estrada da Chácara when four men shot the victim. The police suspect that this is yet another episode in the war between militiamen and drug dealers in the Jacarepaguá region. This is because the victim witnessed the execution of another motorcycle driver.
28/04/2023 – A man was shot and killed at Taquara Plaza Shopping, in Taquara, in the Jacarepaguá neighborhood, West Zone. According to customers, armed men entered the place to chase him, he tried to run but was hit. Security camera footage shows the moment the victim is on the escalator and is cornered by the criminals. It is possible to see that two killers access the escalator next to the victim. While a third accesses the escalator in the opposite direction and also seems to shoot.
29/04/2023 – A woman was shot dead during a shooting between the Military Police and criminals who had stolen a vehicle on Avenida Brasil near the Santa Cruz neighborhood, West Zone. The victim was returning from a party with relatives in the back seat of the car when she was hit in the back. According to the police, military police officers from the Special Police Battalion on Expressways (BPVE) were patrolling the region when they were informed by a woman that her vehicle had been stolen. During the attempted approach, criminals fired shots at the police, which responded.
30/04/2023 – A shooting at Complexo do Chapadão, in the Costa Barros neighborhood, North Zone, left an 11-year-old child and a 19-year-old girl dead. In addition to the two fatalities, a 43-year-old woman was injured. According to information from the Military Police, the three were at a party in the location known as Campo do Real, when a man on a motorcycle drove by shooting. Investigators believe the attack was related to a war between rival drug dealers in the region.
30/04/2023 – A supporter of the Vasco da Gama football team was found dead on Rua Professor Lacerda, in Ramos, North Zone. The Military Police understand that it was an attack by some rival organized gang. The victim was a member of Força Jovem do Vasco.
02/05/2023 – The body of a militia member known as Gargalhone was found shot inside a car in front of Mercado do Peixe, in Barra da Tijuca, West Zone. The criminal is a former head of the Gardênia Azul militia, also in the West Zone. He was pointed out both as a member of a militia and a drug faction. According to investigations, his group turned to the Red Command to regain control of Gardênia Azul, in Jacarepaguá. The Homicide Division of the Capital (DHC) is investigating the circumstances of the case.
03/05/2023 – The Civil Police and the Public Ministry of Rio de Janeiro (MPRJ) began an operation against the militia headed by the criminals known as Tandera. Agents went out to serve 13 arrest warrants and 25 search and seizure warrants. The gang would be responsible for extortion, homicides, threats, land grabbing, usury, illegal extraction of sand to construction works, money laundering, among other crimes. According to investigations, the group even formed a “coalition” between candidates elected for the office in the 2020 elections.
03/05/2023 – A family had their car stolen on Rua Marechal Marciano, in Padre Miguel, North Zone. A security camera caught the bandits’ action and shows two armed men getting out of a vehicle. The driver was surrendered and had his watch stolen.
04/05/2023 – A routine patrol procedure led to a shooting near the Mercadão de Madureira, in the Madureira neighborhood, North Zone. The police tried to approach a group that was trying to steal a vehicle and the shooting began. One person died and six others were injured.
04/05/2023 – A woman was shot dead inside her car on Avenida Pastor Martin Luther King Jr., at the access point to the Linha Amarela, near the neighborhood of Inhaúma, North Zone. The 51-year-old driver died instantly. She was surprised by armed bandits who fired more than 14 times. She owned a jewelry store in Copacabana and despite wearing many pieces at the time of the crime, nothing was taken.
