At least 18 people were killed Thursday in a Brazilian police operation in Complexo do Alemão, a group of 13 favelas in northern Rio de Janeiro that is home to around 70,000 people. Police said 16 of them were suspected of being part of a criminal group that stole cars and robbed banks, while the other two were a police officer and a woman who lived in the area. The operation was extremely violent and, as on other occasions in the past, the police were accused of using excessive and disproportionate force.
The operation involved about 400 agents with 10 armored vehicles and 4 helicopters. The Associated Press writes that it began before dawn and didn’t end until around 4 p.m., and that in some cases officers fired directly from helicopters, even in densely populated areas.