A five-year-old child died early Wednesday after being shot by a gun. Kethellen Umbelino de Oliveira Gomes was on her way to school with her mother when she was shot in Realengo, in the west of Rio de Janeiro, on Tuesday afternoon (12).
The girl was taken to the Albert Schweitzer municipal hospital, but she did resist her injuries.
A 17-year-old, David Gabriel Martins do Nascimento, was also hit and died at the scene. Shots came from a car in Cohab Square.
Late in the afternoon, the Civil Police arrested Thiago Porto, 32, known as Thiago Cabeça, on suspicion of having participated in the crime. He is part of a militia that operates in the region.
Thiago already has two arrest warrants pending for murder. He was taken to the Capital Homicide Police Station, which is investigating Tuesday's murders.
Residents said David was suspected of several robberies and was killed by militiamen from the Barata region who want to curb drug sales and frequent thefts in the area.
According to reports, three men dressed in ninja caps shot six or seven times at the young man who died there. One of the shots hit Kethellen. She is the sixth child killed by firearm shooting in the state of Rio de Janeiro in 2019.
In September, the death of Ágatha Félix, 8, also from a stray bullet, in Complexo do Alemão, had a huge impact on the country and opened discussions about Minister Sergio Moro's anti-crime package (Justice).
Intervention deaths by state agents in Rio rose 18 percent from January to September this year, compared with the same period in 2018 (1,183 to 1,402).*
Translated by Kiratiana Freelon