Clashes erupt in police killings protest in Brazil

Hundreds of people gathered in front of the Rio de Janeiro state government palace on Sunday to protest crimes committed by the police against black people in Rio's working-class neighbourhoods, known as favelas.

The protest, called "Black Lives Matter," was interrupted when police used tear gas to disperse people.

Demonstrators chanted, "I can't breathe," in reference to George Floyd, a black man in the United States who died after a white police officer pressed his knee on his neck until he stopped breathing.

One recent victim was Joao Pedro Pinto, a 14 year old black boy, killed during a Federal Police operation in the Complexo Salgueiro, a group of favelas.

Joao Pedro was at home with some of his cousins when officers invaded his house, allegedly prosecuting drug traffickers, and shot him on May 18th.

Pinto was reported as missing, and his family was notified of his death the next day.

Protesters called for an end to police operations inside favelas. They shouted the names of some victims followed by the word "present!"

Rio has one of the most deadly police in Brazil.

In 2019 they killed 1,546 people, the highest number since 1998, and much of that was during police operations in favelas.