A man was shot in the neck on Thursday afternoon in central Duque de Caxias, in Rio de Janeiro’s Baixada Fluminense, in a clash between organised supporters of Vasco and Flamengo. The two clubs were due to meet at 8pm that evening at the Estadio Nilton Santos in a Brasileirao fixture.
Taxi ambush at a bus stop
According to police, a group of friends was travelling by taxi to the stadium when they stopped at a garage on Avenida Governador Leonel de Moura Brizola to wait for another companion. The victim was at a bus stop when the shots were fired.
A witness told investigators that the group had been stationary for about five minutes when six or seven men approached. The witness said the attackers believed the group belonged to a rival organised supporters’ group, because the taxi driver, who was only doing the journey, was wearing a team’s trousers and one of the men wore a black shirt.
Victim in serious condition
The injured man, identified by the city’s health authorities as 42-year-old Leonardo Ribeiro Silva, was taken to the Hospital Municipal Dr Moacyr Rodrigues do Carmo. He underwent surgery and was moved to the post-operative unit with a tracheostomy. Hospital officials described his condition as serious.
The case was registered at the 59th Police Station in Duque de Caxias and is being investigated as attempted homicide.
Violence across Rio
The trouble was not confined to Duque de Caxias. Earlier in the afternoon, members of a Vasco supporters’ group tried to enter the Parque Uniao community in the Mare complex in search of Flamengo fans. Dozens of men carrying wooden sticks, some with their faces covered, were filmed on Avenida Brasil at the entrance to the community. Fireworks were set off before the group was reportedly threatened by drug traffickers and fled. No injuries were reported.
A separate incident was recorded on Estrada Marechal Miguel Salazar Mendes de Moraes in Jacarepagua, in Rio’s West Zone, where the road had to be closed around 6.30pm.
Source: ge.globo.com
