RIO DE JANEIRO, — According to data from the state’s public security secretary, murders are rising in the Amazonas state of northern Brazil, and especially its capital Manaus. Manaus is the economic heartland of the vast rainforest region.
According to the official data, 1,170 murders were reported by the state between January and October. This is almost four per day, half as many as those that occurred in the same 10-month span a year ago.
Manaus was home to the majority of these crimes, with just over half of its 4.2 million inhabitants. According to the G1 news site, the state had the highest crime rate in the country. However, the number of homicides in other areas has decreased slightly.
Experts say violence in Amazonas has increased in recent years after the Red Command gang waged a bloody war against the Family of the North, which was trying to control the region’s drug trafficking routes.
Daniel da Silva Gomes, 22, was one of the latest victims of the gang warfare. Officers discovered da Silva’s shirtless body on Tuesday, with blood streaming from his head and two gunshots to the head.
According to The Associated Press, Da Silva’s father claimed that his son was involved in drug trafficking and had received threats.
After the death of an alleged leader of a drug trafficking network, Manaus authorities closed down schools and suspended public transport amid violence.
Officials said that the crime was likely revenge for the murder.
