A soldier belonging to Brazil’s elite National Force who was assigned to security duty for the Rio Olympic Games was shot in the head on Thursday, after taking a wrong turn and getting lost in a slum known for being controlled by drug gangs.
The soldier – who is said to be recovering after a four-hour surgery – and his unit came under attack after getting lost in the unfamiliar streets of Rio while using GPS to navigate. Despite conflicting reports that the soldier had died of his injuries, he is in stable condition.
The soldier, identified by local media as Helio Vieira, was traveling in a truck with two other members of his unit when they came under attack and he was shot through the forehead. One other member of the unit, captain Alen Marcos Rodrigues Ferreira, was also hit, although his injuries were not life-threatening. The third member of the unit, Rafael Pereira, was unharmed.
The soldiers were attacked in the Complexo da Mare’, a favela in the northern part of Rio that’s known for a high level of crime, gang and drug related activity.
The area has a history of violence and was occupied by the Brazilian military two years ago in an effort to pacify it ahead of the 2014 World Cup.
The soldiers were apparently traveling down a small road in the favela when their vehicle came under fire.
Brazil’s Minister of Justice Alexandre de Moraes called the incident “a regrettable and cowardly attack.”
According to De Moreas, two suspects had already been identified.
AP reports that a commando unit backed by a police helicopter was being readied for an operation to apprehend the suspected shooters.
