Police shoot Spanish tourists dead in Rio

rio de janeiro - The police in Rio de Janeiro shot a Spanish tourist when she did not stop a police barrier with her car in a slum area.

Police in Rio confirmed in a written statement that Maria Esperanza Ruiz Jimenez, 67, died after being shot by a police officer in the Rocinha district.

Rocinha has been the scene of serious violence between rival gangs for control over drug trafficking for a month. Shooting between the gangs and the police takes place almost daily. Also in other slums in the city where the Olympic Games were in 2016, the number of fights increased.

The police have been trying to maintain control over the city for a few months. President Michel Temer granted permission to use 9000 soldiers in July, but that had little effect on the deterioration of violence.