Eight people were killed on Friday in an hours-long shootout between police and suspected drug traffickers at a favela in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro, officials said, Trend reports citing Xinhua.
Dozens of city police officers and Federal Highway Police arrived at about 5:00 in the morning in the Vila Cruzeiro favela in the north of Rio with an arrest warrant for an accused drug trafficker, sparking an exchange of gunfire that lasted almost three hours and left eight civilians dead, with their identities unknown at the moment.
"The operation was a success. We regret the death of eight people, who could have been arrested but did not heed police orders to stop, and resisted our action," said Lieutenant Colonel Uira do Nascimento Ferreira of the Special Operations Battalion of the militarized police in Rio.
The official admitted officers were unable to capture the wanted drug trafficker Chico Bento, who is on the run.
The shootout caused panic at the favela, to the point that shops remained closed and 13 municipal schools canceled primary and secondary grade classes.