Military police stand guard next to a wall riddled with bullets left by police and gang conflicts in the Complexo de Alemao slum of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Tuesday, April 25, 2017. Residents in this slum are protesting after a youth died on Tuesday after a shootout. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)

Rio governor asks for federal help to fight violence in slum

RIO DE JANEIRO – The governor of Rio de Janeiro called on Thursday for Brazil’s federal government to help put more police officers on the streets following a spike in violence.

Gov. Luiz Fernando Pezao told CBN Radio that his cash-strapped state has been unable to deploy 4,000 recently graduated police officers because of a lack of funds.

Five people have been shot to death in Rio’s Alemao slum complex during gunbattles between police and drug traffickers over the past week. Four of those have been innocent bystanders, including a 13-year-old boy who was killed by a stray bullet while walking to visit a neighbour.

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Abbey Westbury

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