Police said criminals attacked a patrol in the Cantagalo slum, located just behind Copacabana, during the night of Wednesday to Thursday. (Representational Image)
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil:
Rio police shot dead an alleged drug dealer overnight near Copacabana beach, which will host several Olympic contests this year in the heart of the city's tourist zone.
Police said criminals attacked a patrol in the Cantagalo slum, located just behind Copacabana, during the night of Wednesday to Thursday, illustrating the challenge faced by authorities to pacify the city ahead of the August Olympics.
"There was a confrontation and a man was shot and taken to hospital," the police said in a statement, adding that they found a loaded semi-automatic pistol, 1,131 cocaine packets, 800 crack sachets, LSD and other drugs.
He later died of his wounds, a police spokeswoman told AFP.
The deadly clash was followed hours later by the reported deaths of four people during an anti-drug trafficking operation by police in another favela in neighborhood of Santa Cruz on the western outskirts of Rio de Janeiro.
Rio will be South America's first Olympic host, with events staged right across the city, including beach volleyball and triathlon on Copacabana.
Officials say more than 80,000 security personnel will keep the city safe for tourists arriving to watch the Games.
Last year there were 1,202 murders recorded in Rio de Janeiro, continuing a slow, but steady downward trend, official statistics show. However, some crimes were sharply up, including cellphone thefts, up from 4,745 in 2014 to 7,101 last year.
Police said criminals attacked a patrol in the Cantagalo slum, located just behind Copacabana, during the night of Wednesday to Thursday, illustrating the challenge faced by authorities to pacify the city ahead of the August Olympics.
"There was a confrontation and a man was shot and taken to hospital," the police said in a statement, adding that they found a loaded semi-automatic pistol, 1,131 cocaine packets, 800 crack sachets, LSD and other drugs.
He later died of his wounds, a police spokeswoman told AFP.
The deadly clash was followed hours later by the reported deaths of four people during an anti-drug trafficking operation by police in another favela in neighborhood of Santa Cruz on the western outskirts of Rio de Janeiro.
Rio will be South America's first Olympic host, with events staged right across the city, including beach volleyball and triathlon on Copacabana.
Officials say more than 80,000 security personnel will keep the city safe for tourists arriving to watch the Games.
Last year there were 1,202 murders recorded in Rio de Janeiro, continuing a slow, but steady downward trend, official statistics show. However, some crimes were sharply up, including cellphone thefts, up from 4,745 in 2014 to 7,101 last year.
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