Violence in Rio ends in 30 deaths

Saturday, April 2, 2005

Brazil — From Thursday through Friday night in a sad spectacle of savagery, 30 innocent men, women and children were killed in Rio De Janeiro by criminals.

Central Rio de Janeiro as viewed from the Corcovado mountain.

The killings occurred randomly at several places around the metropolitan region of Rio de Janeiro. The same death squad of criminals is suspected in all the killings. According to Rio's Public Security Secretary Marcelo Itajiba, outlaw police officers may be responsible for the crimes.

The criminals' actions might be a retaliation against recent arrests of policemen involved in fighting corruption and criminal activity.

In the victims' list released by the police include six children from ages 13 to 16, and three victims older than 50. The remaining were aged 18 to 45. Some of the victims were just walking in the street, 11 were in a snack bar, and one boy was playing pinball when attacked. Other victims were found at random places around the city.

On Wednesday a group of outlaw policemen killed two people, beheading one of them. The head was hurled in a direction towards the patio of the police station, the 15º Batalhão de Polícia Militar de Caxias, in Rio.

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