A sequence of four shooting attacks with deaths and injuries in Ceará led security forces to reinforce activities to contain violence in the state. Between Thursday (20/06) and Sunday (23/06), 14 people were murdered and nine children and teenagers were injured by gunfire. According to the Secretary of Public Security, Roberto Sá, the cases of violence are related to the disputes between criminal factions, which try to advance and conquer drug-selling territories.
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Thursday (20/06): Viçosa do Ceará
On Thursday, eight people died in Viçosa do Ceará. The victims were between 16 and 26 years old. The crime took place in Praça Clóvis Beviláqua, in the city center.
Friday (21/06): Barroso (neighborhood of Fortaleza)
On Friday, in the Barroso neighborhood, in Fortaleza, a 48-year-old woman and a 10-year-old boy were killed in an arena. Eight other children and teenagers, ages 8 to 16, were shot during the attack. According to witnesses, two vehicles arrived at the scene and the occupants shot at people in the stands.
Friday (21/06): Mondubim (neighborhood of Fortaleza)
Also on Friday, two men were killed in a pizzeria in the Mondubim neighborhood, in the capital. The victims are a 23-year-old delivery man and a 30-year-old customer. The delivery man did not have his identity confirmed by the Police. Criminals arrived on three motorcycles to murder the pizzeria employee.
Sunday (23/06): Morrinhos
The fourth attack took place on Sunday (23) in Morrinhos, a city in the interior of the state. Two men died and one was injured after a shooting attack on a public road in a rural area. The victims were 27 and 29 years old.
Motivation Is Still Uncertain
Another point to be clarified is why criminals shoot at innocent people, hitting children and teenagers. According to the General Delegate of the Civil Police of Ceará, Márcio Gutiérrez, there is a possibility that the attack was a way of scaring the population and confronting the security forces. The crimes could also be linked to a kind of message to the state after the announcement of measures to combat criminal groups in Ceará.
Reinforcement of Operations
The governor of Ceará, Elmano de Freitas, announced that the state will have financial reinforcement for actions to combat organized crime. The statement was made in a video released this Sunday morning (23/06), during a meeting with the Security Forces leadership at the Abolition Palace. In addition to the meeting, the governor also announced that he had met with the president of the Court of Justice of Ceará (TJCE) to outline strategies to combat organized crime in the state.
Analysis:
The recent wave of violence in Ceará, with a series of four shooting attacks between the 20 and 23 of June, resulting in 14 deaths, highlights the seriousness of the public security problem in the state. The nature and frequency of these incidents indicate an intensification of territorial disputes between criminal factions, particularly in drug sales areas. These episodes represent a significant challenge for security forces and have profound implications for public security in the state.
The attacks demonstrate the mobilization capacity and boldness of criminal groups, who do not hesitate to attack in public places and against innocent targets. Indiscriminate violence points to a strategy of terror and intimidation, designed to destabilize society and challenge authorities. This type of violence generates a state of fear and insecurity among the population, undermining trust in security forces and the government.
