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8 killed during police anti-crime operation in Rio slum

8 killed during police anti-crime operation in Rio slum | iNFOnews.ca
In this photo released by Leonardo Alves, students run from their school, during a shootout between police and suspected drug traffickers in the Mare shantytown of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Monday, May 6, 2019. Brazilian officials say an anti-crime operation by police resulted in eight people being killed during the shootout. (AP Photo/Leonardo Alves)

RIO DE JANEIRO – Police swept into the Mare shantytown in Rio de Janeiro for an anti-crime operation Monday, and eight people were killed, authorities said.

The civil police said there was no immediate information on the identities of those killed. Officials said details on what happened would be released later.

Police killings in Rio hit a record high in the first three months of 2019. Official statistics say police killed 434 people January through March, which was an 18% increase from 368 killed during the same period last year.

Rio de Janeiro state Gov. Wilson Witzel took office in January after campaigning on a promise to implement shoot-to-kill policing tactics. On Saturday, Witzel posted a video of himself in a helicopter flying with police officers aiming rifles at residential areas below.

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