A POLICE OFFICER has died after being shot in the head when he and two others working security at the Rio Olympics got lost near a slum and encountered gunfire.
Justice Minister Alexandre de Moraes announced Helio Vieira’s death this morning on his official Facebook page.
He called Helio Vieira “a real hero of our country” and said that all Brazilian soldiers deserve to be treated with respect.
The officers from Brazil’s national security force were using a GPS device to navigate unfamiliar streets Wednesday afternoon when they took a wrong turn off a highway leading to Rio’s international airport. Their truck was sprayed with bullets, and officer Helio Vieira was shot. He died late yesterday.
The other officers suffered minor injuries when the windows of their vehicle shattered.
More than 85,000 security forces have been deployed in Rio for the Olympics, which is double the number of London in 2012.
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