It turned the northern neighborhood into a war zone Thursday morning, leaving streets strewn with corpses and pools of blood. The other 24 dead were “criminals,” according to police — who now face mounting calls to prove that, as well as questions on why they were killed rather than arrested. The far-right president won office in 2018 on a pro-gun, pro-security platform, and has close ties with the police and military. Rio, an iconic beach city of 6.7 million people, is notorious for its violent crime, and also a troubled history of police killings. Last year, 1,245 people were killed by police in Rio de Janeiro state — more, for example, than the 1,127 such cases across the entire United States.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer May 07, 2021 17:15 UTC