RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) – A group of heavily-armed men stormed a Rio de Janeiro hospital early Sunday to free a suspected drug trafficker, sparking a shootout with officers that left a patient dead and a nurse and an off-duty policeman wounded.
At least five attackers entered the Hospital Souza Aguiar before dawn to rescue the 28-year-old suspect, who was being treated there for a gunshot wound, Rio de Janeiro police said in a statement. As many as 15 other gunmen were outside during the attack, witnesses told police.
Investigators were studying security camera footage, and Rivaldo Barbosa, head of the state’s homicide unit, said two of the assailants had been identified.
“This was a carefully orchestrated attack,” Barbosa told reporters outside the hospital. “It was a bold action that will not go unpunished. It is unacceptable.”
Souza Aguiar is one of five hospitals designated to treat tourists during the Olympic Games beginning Aug. 5 and is the closest to the famed Maracana Stadium, site of the opening ceremony. It’s also on a U.S. Embassy list of medical facilities recommended for travelers to the games.