Rio Police Kill Spanish Tourist Near Rocinha Neighborhood
- Violence has surged with Rio suffering from a fiscal crisis
- Rocinha slum has had daily shootouts between police and gangs
Protesters listen to a community leader talk about police violence, during police operations in the Rocinha slum of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Oct. 19, 2017.
Photographer: Silvia Izquierdo/AP PhotoThis article is for subscribers only.
Rio de Janeiro police shot and killed a Spanish woman after she and other tourists allegedly drove through a blockade near the city’s largest shantytown, according to the city’s military police.
Police confirmed the death in an email and said they are investigating. O Globo identified her as Maria Esperanza Jimenez Ruiz, 67, who was riding in a Fiat with other tourists. The newspaper also reported that the driver, an Italian living in Brazil for the past four years, said he didn’t hear any order to stop or see a police barrier.