BRAZIL, AUGUST 11, 2016 – A soldier guarding the Olympic Games was killed and at least two of his comrades wounded when their car was sprayed with bullets after mistakenly entering a drug lord-controlled slum.According to Daily Mail reports, yesterday, soldier, from the elite Forca Nacional (National Force) was shot in the head as he drove a marked pickup truck into one of the city’s most dangerous shantytowns by mistake.
He was taken to hospital but local reports said he died of his wounds. Brazilian police and military had yet to confirm his death on Wednesday evening.
The scene in the aftermath of the shooting showed how the driver of the pickup, Helio Vieira, whose rank was not disclosed, was shot. He later died of his wounds
Photographs from the scene showed the aftermath of the attack on the vehicle, in the Vila do Joao favela, which is close to the city’s international airport.
Drugs gangsters who control the slum reportedly opened fire on the soldiers, at least one of them an officer, after they found themselves inside the notorious shanty town, close to Rio’s international airport.
It is believed the soldiers, who are not familiar with the city, may have mistakenly entered the slum while trying to turn around as they drove along the main expressway into Rio, known as the Yellow Line.
At least three and possibly four soldiers were hit by bullets, but Helio Vieira, who was driving, was shot in the head as gangsters sprayed their camouflaged army truck with bullets.
Vieira, from Brazil’s northern Roraima state, was rushed to Rio’s Salgado Filho hospital in a critial condition and rushed into surgery where, according to some reports, he died.
The scene in the aftermath of the shooting showed how the driver of the pickup, Helio Vieira, whose rank was not disclosed, was shot. He later died of his wounds
Photographs from the scene showed the aftermath of the attack on the vehicle, in the Vila do Joao favela, which is close to the city’s international airport.
Drugs gangsters who control the slum reportedly opened fire on the soldiers, at least one of them an officer, after they found themselves inside the notorious shanty town, close to Rio’s international airport.
It is believed the soldiers, who are not familiar with the city, may have mistakenly entered the slum while trying to turn around as they drove along the main expressway into Rio, known as the Yellow Line.
Onlookers: People who live in the favela gathered around the shot-out police vehicle after the three wounded soldiers were rescued. One later died
Massive presence: Police and the military have flooded Rio de Janiero to protect the Olympics. But swathes of its poorest areas remain under control of drugs lords
At least three and possibly four soldiers were hit by bullets, but Helio Vieira, who was driving, was shot in the head as gangsters sprayed their camouflaged army truck with bullets.
Vieira, from Brazil’s northern Roraima state, was rushed to Rio’s Salgado Filho hospital in a critial condition and rushed into surgery where, according to some reports, he died.
