The Rio de Janeiro metropolitan area had four children shot in less than 10 days, according to Fogo Cruzado.
Of the 267 shootings and gunfire incidents that occurred in December, security agents were present in 93 of them.
Brasil de Fato - The Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Region ended 2021 with five children shot in the month of December, according to data from the Fogo Cruzado Institute. Four of the victims were hit in a period of less than 10 days, between December 19 and 26.
Among the victims is 9-year-old Manuela Griffo. She was with her family when she was hit in the left shoulder in a square in Campo Grande, in the western part of Rio, on the 26th. There was no police operation and/or pursuit at the time.
For Cecília Oliveira, executive director of the Fogo Cruzado Institute, Brazil will have no future as long as childhood is not a priority. “Manuela is not an isolated case, she is not an exception. On average, we have one child shot per month in Greater Rio. This is unacceptable,” she states.
“We have a problem right now: access to weapons has been expanded and the control and oversight mechanisms have been weakened. The police don't have the mechanisms to investigate diversions, smuggling, and arms trafficking. Nobody knows where the shot that hit Manuela came from. What justice can we expect for this family?” says Cecília.
Attacks on wheels
Shootings were also a cause for concern in December 2021: 13 people were injured in two separate incidents where occupants of vehicles opened fire on a group of people.
Among the victims was also a child. Roberto, 11 years old, was shot in the back in the presence of his father, in Inhaúma, in the northern zone of Rio, on the 19th. Occupants of a motorcycle drove by shooting towards a bar. Five other people were also shot.
Violent December
During the month of December, there were 267 shootings/gunfire incidents in the Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Region, according to Fogo Cruzado. Of these, 93 (35%) occurred with the presence of security agents, representing a 26% increase compared to December 2020, which totaled 74 shootings where security agents were present at the scene.
Despite the decrease in shootings, there was a 59% increase in the number of people shot in the Rio Metropolitan Region in December: there were 154 victims (77 dead and 77 wounded). In the same period of 2020, 97 people were shot (43 dead and 54 wounded).
Compared to November, which saw 262 shootings with a total of 147 people shot (79 dead and 68 wounded), December showed a 2% increase in shootings and a 3% decrease in gun-related deaths. However, there was a 13% increase in the number of wounded.
In December, the dates most affected by armed violence were: the 3rd, with 21 shootings/gunfire incidents; the 12th, with seven deaths; and the 19th, with nine injuries.
map of violence
Among the municipalities that are part of the Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Region, the five most affected by armed violence were:
• Rio de Janeiro: 133 shootings, 26 dead and 30 injured
• São Gonçalo: 37 shootings, 9 dead and 23 injured
• Duque de Caxias: 19 shootings, 2 dead and 3 injured
• Nova Iguaçu: 16 shootings, 10 dead and 4 injured
• Belford Roxo: 13 shootings, 1 dead and 4 injured
Among the neighborhoods in Greater Rio, the five most affected were:
• Madureira (Rio de Janeiro): 15 shootings and 1 person injured
• Olavo Bilac (Duque de Caxias): 9 shootings
• Vila Kennedy (Rio de Janeiro): 6 shootings and 2 deaths
• Guadalupe (Rio de Janeiro): 5 shootings and 3 deaths
• Cordovil (Rio de Janeiro): 5 shootings, 1 dead and 1 injured
The North Zone accounted for 33% of the shootings mapped in the month. It was the region of Greater Rio most affected by armed violence in December.
• North Zone: 88 shootings, 13 dead and 21 injured
• Baixada Fluminense: 76 shootings, 29 dead and 16 injured
• Metropolitan East: 58 shootings, 22 dead and 31 injured
• West Zone: 35 shootings, 11 dead and 8 injured
• Downtown: 8 shootings, 2 dead and 1 injured
• South Zone: 2 shootings
There were 20 shootings in areas controlled by Pacifying Police Units (UPP). In total, four people were shot in these areas: three died and one was injured. The UPP areas most affected by armed violence in December were:
• Andaraí: 5 shootings and 2 deaths
• Penha Complex: 4 shootings and 1 injured
• Borel: 3 shootings and 1 death
• Complexo do Alemão: 2 shootings
• Saint John's Day: 2 shootings