Police Operations Across Brazil Kill Suspects, Leave Child Dead and Trigger Protests

Overview

• Tactical units across several states carried out coordinated actions on Friday that included a long hostage standoff in Votuporanga where the suspect surrendered and the woman and her infant were unharmed.
• A police operation in Eunápolis on Friday left an 8-year-old girl dead and another child wounded, which sparked road blockades and arson attacks on buses and a cargo truck by angry residents.
• Separate confrontations in Maragogipe, Nova Andradina and Guarujá resulted in the deaths of suspected gang members and the seizure of guns, ammunition and drugs during warrant arrests and patrols.
• In Salvador, seven men were arrested on kidnapping charges after BOPE freed a family and officers recovered pistols, a grenade, magazines and narcotics during the operation.
• Authorities have opened criminal investigations and internal inquiries, a São Paulo judge granted provisional release to a police officer with restrictions on duties and weapons, and officials warn heightened scrutiny of policing tactics may follow these incidents.