Three Killed During Armed Confrontation In Rio Favela, Police Deploy Armored Vehicles To Area

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil— Three men were found dead Saturday morning after rival drug gangs fought for nearly two hours with rifles and grenades in the Complexo da Maré, one of Rio’s largest favela complexes, shutting down streets, schools, and a health clinic as residents hid under beds. The battle started at 5:30 a.m.

Residents said the shooting began when gunmen from the Comando Vermelho tried to invade a section controlled by Terceiro Comando Puro. They came through the alleys firing. The other group responded from rooftops. Bullets hit homes, water tanks, and power lines. One resident recorded audio from inside her kitchen. You hear bursts, then silence, then bursts again. She did not leave. “We stayed on the floor. My daughter asked if we were going to die. I said no, but I didn’t know,” she said.

Military Police arrived at 7 a.m. with two armored vehicles. They did not enter the core alleys. They set a perimeter. A commander said his unit recovered three bodies, all young men with rifles, wearing shorts and flip-flops. No ID. Two AK-47s and a bag of cocaine were found nearby. No arrests. The commander said, “The area is still unstable. We will maintain presence.” Presence means two trucks at the entrance.

Maré has 140,000 residents. Gun battles happen weekly. Schools close often. Saturday, six schools did not open. A health clinic canceled appointments. A van that transports patients for dialysis could not enter. One teacher said she messaged parents at 6 a.m.: do not come. “We have a WhatsApp group for shootings. That is our protocol now,” she said.

The Rio state security secretary said intelligence indicated the invasion was over control of a drug sales point that moves 50,000 reais a day. No mention of prevention. No mention of social programs. The governor’s office issued a note saying operations “will continue to repress crime.”

By noon, the alleys were quiet but tense. Residents walked quickly, heads down. Children played near spent casings. One man swept bullet fragments from his doorway.

The bodies were taken to the IML in central Rio.

The favela remains under gang control. Police left at 2 p.m.