On average, every four hours, a person injured by a firearm is treated at a public hospital emergency in the city of Rio de Janeiro and the Metropolitan Region, according to an exclusive survey carried out by GloboNews. In the first half of this year alone, 1,141 patients were rescued with gunshot wounds in 16 health units in the city, state and Federal Government, an average of 6 per day. The record holder for shot people that were treated between January and June is Albert Schweitzer Hospital, in the West Zone of Rio, territory currently disputed by militiamen. The unit average is one record per day. In 2022, the Getúlio Vargas State Hospital, located in Penha, in the North Zone of Rio, was the unit that most received patients that were shot. There were 470 people, which is an average of one patient per day. This year, for every 3 people who were shot and rescued by doctors at Getúlio Vargas, one succumbed to his injuries and died. In all, 177 victims were assisted in the unit in this year’s first half, of which 58 died. From 2021 until the end of the first half of 2023, 6,887 people shot were treated in the capital and the Metropolitan Region. Doctors report that in the 1990s, there was a change in the profile of patients, since, at that time, the wound caused by a rifle shot was a novelty.
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The Civil and Military Police of Rio de Janeiro seized around 20 firearms per day in the first six months of 2023. On average, two rifles were withdrawn from circulation every 24 hours. The data are from the Public Security Institute (ISP) of the state. The data also indicate that around 108 people were arrested red-handed, and 43 vehicles were seized each day in the first six months of 2023.
23/07/2023 – On Sunday (23/07) night, three men robbed a car in Av. Dom Helder Câmara, in Del Castilho neighborhood, Rio’s North Zone. They were later chased by a police patrol, which managed to arrest two and injure one, during a shootout. According to the police, the agents that responded to the incident reported that the criminals shot at the teams and there was a confrontation. The criminals had a simulacrum of a firearm, three ninja caps and the vehicle used by the trio.
23/07/2023 – On Sunday night (23/07), the Civil Police arrested four suspected members of a militia that operates in the West Zone of Rio. They found in the community of Rola, in Santa Cruz. In addition to a stolen car, two rifles, three pistols, ammunition and a ballistic vest were seized. The operation began after a Military Police sergeant was executed in Paciência in the morning. After the crime, the policeman’s gun was taken by the bandits. According to the corporation, the purpose of the action was to repress the movement of criminals and prevent the practice of extortion of residents.
25/07/2023 – On Tuesday (25/07), six people that carried out scams in Rio de Janeiro state were arrested. According to the investigations, Fênix Assessoria e Consultoria, which operated in the NorteShopping tower, offered correspondent banking services to individuals and companies so that they could “lead resources” by facilitating bank loans. According to the Civil Police, the victims handed over documents for the service to be done, but the gang ended up opening accounts. With that, they managed to get credit cards, car financing and loans without the victims’ knowledge – one of them had a loss of R$700,000. They had a manager inside Santander bank that helped them open the accounts.
25/07/2023 – On Tuesday afternoon (25/07), a man assaulted two people at an optician in Largo do Machado, in the South Zone of Rio. The aggressor is a customer who came in to buy glasses but was dissatisfied because the store did not have a frame in the model he wanted. The man left before the police arrived. According to witnesses, his mother claimed that he took prescription drugs.
26/07/2023 – On Wednesday (26/07), the Civil Police of RJ and the Public Ministry of Rio de Janeiro (MPRJ) started, in 5 states, Operation Exagogi, against fuel theft through the perforation of Transpetro pipelines. Agents carried out 47 search and seizure warrants in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo and Paraná, issued by the 1st Specialized Court of the Court of Justice of RJ. One of the suspects is a military police officer from the 32nd BPM (Macaé), appointed as the armed wing of the gang. The MPRJ denounced to the Justice 27 people for aggravated theft, criminal organization and corruption. The operation also aims to identify receiving companies that acquired the diverted product clandestinely.
26/07/2023 – On Wednesday (26/07), a police action against crack users ended with a damaged Military Police vehicle after an attempt to attack the agents on Avenida Rei Pelé, in Maracanã, in the North Zone of Rio de Janeiro. Police officers were patrolling the region when they approached a man who was using the drug. The confusion started when the officers tried to take him to the police station. According to the PM, he resisted and about 30 other crack users surrounded the agents. A tear gas grenade was used to contain the group. Drug users managed to escape. A vehicle was hit by stones and glass, but no one was injured.
26/07/2023 – On Wednesday (26/07), a shopkeeper on Rua Araticum, Anil, in the West Zone of Rio, was kidnapped, according to witnesses, because he refused to pay fees imposed by militiamen. The victim was taken at around 08H00 and released two hours later. The Military Police say that the victim was found in the community of Covanca. The vehicle used in the crime has been seized. Merchants in the area claim that, around 16h00, men pass by on motorcycles collecting fees, which are weekly.
26/07/2023 – On Wednesday (26/07), two men carried out a series of robberies on Amaro Cavalcanti Ave., Todos os Santos, North Zone. According to investigations, the criminals were waited for the traffic light to turn red. When the cars stopped, they threw stones at the windows and stole cell phones and other objects that were inside the vehicle. Both were later arrested.
26/07/2023 – On Wednesday afternoon (26/07), four men were injured after a shootout on Ilha de Guaratiba, in the West Zone of Rio. The shootout took place on Rua Estrela da Tarde between rival criminals. Three of the wounded died. Police officers from the 27th BPM (Santa Cruz), who were patrolling in the region of Santa Cruz, Paciência and Guaratiba, went to the location to check the report that groups were armed in the region. At the scene, police found two dead men inside a car. One of them was a drug dealer in Complexo da Maré. With them, a rifle, a pistol, and a walkie-talkie were seized. Nearby, on Rua Gaspar Lemos, a motorcyclist was found dead.
