Photos of a gun battle in a Rio de Janeiro favela between 400 police and armed suspected criminals

Police officers take positions during an operation against drug gangs in Alemao slums complex, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, July 21, 2022.REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes

• At least 18 people have died in a police raid in a favela, a low-income neighborhood or slum, in Rio de Janeiro.
• It prompted anger about police brutality and racism in the city.

Eighteen people died during a police raid on a favela, a low-income community sometimes called a slum or shanty town, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on July 21.

Authorities said 16 suspected criminals were killed in clashes with heavily armed police at the Complexo do Alemao favela, AP reports, and a police officer and a woman died. The raid targeted a criminal group that stole cars, robbed banks, and invaded nearby neighborhoods, said police, per AP.

AP also reports that police used helicopters in the raid. Videos on social media showed gun battles between police and suspected criminals and shots fired at a police helicopter.

Residents of the favela, one of the largest in Rio de Janeiro, caught in the crossfire protested with white flags. They demanded an end to the violence inflicted on their community.