Child Shot in Rio when Buying Popcorn with Her Mother

A 4-year-old girl was shot in the head in a shootout between police and criminals on Wednesday afternoon (1st) in the Taquara neighborhood, west of Rio de Janeiro. She was with her mother and had just left daycare when she was hit as she stopped to buy popcorn.

“She picked up the girl from daycare, stopped to buy popcorn and, when she saw her, the girl was all bloody,” said the maternal grandmother, who will not be named to protect the child’s identity.

The girl was sent to the Taquara emergency care unit and then to the Miguel Couto Hospital, in the south of Rio. At the unit, she underwent head surgery and remains in a very serious condition, according to the Municipal Health Department.

The Civil Police reported that it went to the Taquara neighborhood after receiving a report of extortion and was reportedly shot at by criminals. During the operation, police officers arrested a person and seized a pistol and a stolen car.

Translated by Kiratiana Freelon

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