11 People Killed by Gun Attack in Brazil Bar

A gang of gunmen attacked at Belem bar in Brazil’s northern Pará state Sunday afternoon and murdered six women and five men. The attackers arrived on one motorcycle and in three cars and almost all the victims had been shot in the head.
Police reported that seven gunmen were involved in the attack, managed to wound one of the alleged gunmen and took him into custody, but the others reportedly got away.
The bar that they targeted is in a high crime area, which had to get police reinforcements earlier this year, according to G1. In late March, the federal government sent National Guard troops to Belém to reinforce security in the city for 90 days.
Much of Brazil’s violence is gang-related. In January, gangs attacked across Fortaleza, bringing that city to a standstill with as commerce, buses and taxis shut down.
Rio de Janeiro, the country’s second biggest city, experiences daily shootouts between rival gangs and also between police and criminals, battles that often result in the deaths of innocent bystanders.
A Pará state spokeswoman, Natalia Mello, said only: “A massacre is confirmed,” but gave no details.
State communications officials stopped answering phone calls. Military and civil police in Pará state also did not answer phone calls or respond to emails.
Ualame Machado security in Para said, “Of course we have some lines of investigation, which are confidential, but all of them will be analyzed very carefully, very strictly.”
>Juthy Saha