Rio slum dwellers protest deadly gang, police gunbattles

RIO DE JANEIRO – Hundreds of Brazilians have taken to the streets of the Alemao slum complex in Rio de Janeiro to protest gunbattles between police and gangsters that have killed at least four people and wounded six others, including three policemen.

The latest to die was a 13-year-old who suffered a gunshot wound in his abdomen Monday. Local media said Tuesday that he was hit by a stray bullet.

Residents say shootings between police and drug traffickers have raged since Friday, when officers installed a tower in the slum as part of a campaign to retake control from gangs.

Three people died during the weekend, including a soldier hit by a stray bullet inside his home, and a young man caught in the middle of a gunbattle as he headed to work.