RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – A task force with over 200 police officers has been on the hunt for the suspect for 9 days. Residents reported hearing about 50 shots.
On Thursday afternoon, June 17, shots were heard in the area where the search continues for Lázaro Barbosa, suspected of killing a family in Ceilândia, in the Federal District. In the late afternoon, the task force launched an operation by land and helicopters.
Residents of Cocalzinho de Goiás reported hearing more than 50 shots. One of them sent a message to his fiancée about ‘heavy gunfire’ in the region.
As of 8:00 PM, the Secretariat of Public Safety had no comment on whether Lázaro had been arrested. Police officers and firemen said that no one was injured.
Read also: Six days of terror – Lázaro Barbosa leaves crime trail in Brazil’s capital and surrounding area
The police advised TV Anhanguera that gunfire occurred in the Itamar 3 residential area during searches in an effort to capture Lázaro. Secretary of Public Safety Rodney Miranda accompanied the operation and left the base as soon as reports of gunfire came in, only to return hours later.
Over 200 police officers have been searching for the suspect for 9 days. The Secretariat of Public Safety announced Thursday morning that men from the National Force will bolster the operation.
Escape timeline
- On Friday, June 11, the suspect stole a vehicle and fled to Cocalzinho de Goiás. He later set fire to the car;
- On Saturday June 12, he broke into a farm, shot 3 people and set fire to a house. At the time, he took a caretaker hostage and forced the victim to take drugs;
- On Sunday, June 13, the suspect stole a car to escape from the police, was seen on BR-070 and later abandoned the vehicle. The police force believes that he was trying to return to the Federal District;
- On Monday, June 14, he was filmed by CCTV cameras and slept in a farm shed. He asked residents for food, but fled;
- On Tuesday, June 15, a farm resident filmed the police during a search in her property. According to the footage, Lázaro passed by during the escape. Later, he kidnapped a family in another farm (they were released unharmed) and shot 2 police officers, who were grazed, taken to hospitals and discharged;
- On Wednesday, June 16, Lázaro Barbosa was seen by a local resident in a rural area;
- On Thursday, June 17, the police resumed the search in the woods of the region and changed the operation base for the second time. The National Force will assist in the search.
Source: G1