Police operation leaves five dead in northern Rio.
Five people died and two were arrested in a confrontation with police officers from the Special Police Operations Battalion (BOPE), during an operation carried out by the Military Police (PM) in the Jorge Turco slum, in the northern zone of Rio; the confrontation led to the closure of the Félix Mielli Venerando Olympic Village, in Honório Gurgel, by order of the Municipal Secretariat of Sport and Leisure.
From Agência Brasil
Five people died and two were arrested in a confrontation with police officers from the Special Police Operations Battalion (BOPE), during an operation carried out today (20) by the Military Police (PM) in the Jorge Turco hill, in Rocha Miranda, north of Rio, which caused the closure of the Félix Mielli Venerando Olympic Village, in Honório Gurgel, by order of the Municipal Department of Sport and Leisure.
In the operation, police also seized five weapons. According to BOPE (Special Operations Battalion), all those killed and arrested were suspected of drug trafficking in the region. During a shootout, a reservoir belonging to the State Water and Sewage Company (Cedae) was hit and a large quantity of water leaked out.
The area encompassing the Jorge Turco and neighboring Juramento hills suffers from a war between factions vying for control of drug trafficking. According to the Military Police, the operation was carried out to suppress drug trafficking. Due to the confrontation, Cedae (the water and sewage company) intervened to interrupt the water supply from the reservoir hit by gunfire, to prevent waste. According to Cedae, the reservoir has a capacity of 200 liters of water and supplies only the Jorge Turco community. The company also stated that after the police operation concludes, a technical team will go to the site to carry out repairs.
The Félix Mielli Venerando Olympic Village, located near the Jorge Turco hill, serves more than four thousand people in its 29 sports and leisure activities. In a statement, the Municipal Secretariat of Sport and Leisure of Rio de Janeiro informed that "Secretary Marcos Braz has ordered the suspension of activities and the closure of the Olympic Village until calm is restored in the region."