RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – A municipal guard killed three people and wounded three others after an altercation in a bar in the Vigário Geral favela, northern Rio de Janeiro. The crime occurred on Monday night (12). The agent also exchanged fire with state police officers called to control the scene and was wounded.
In a statement, Rio’s Municipal Guard confirmed that the suspect is an agent of the force and said that a disciplinary proceeding has been opened. “The corporation will also cooperate with police investigations,” the statement reads.
The motive for the crime is still under investigation, but according to witnesses the municipal guard – whose name has not been disclosed – knew the victims and became angered after being the target of jokes by some of them.
Rio’s Municipal Guard does not carry firearms, but Mayor Eduardo Paes (PSD) has submitted a bill to the City Council to change the city’s Organic Law in order to allow a select group of law enforcement agents to carry firearms.