Brazil: Massacre in a local bar, 11 victims

(Patria) – 11 people lost their lives in an attack carried out on a local bar in Brazil by a group of armed men, agencies reported, while the government has not yet confirmed the reports on the number of victims.

The news portal G1 reports that the police have confirmed that there were 7 armed men in the group that carried out the attack in the city of Belem.

The same source reported that the attackers arrived at the bar in three vehicles and one motorcycle before fatally shooting six women and five men.

The police have opened an investigation. The motive is unknown, and no one has yet been arrested in connection with the attack.

Brazil is known for violence and crime; in 2017 alone, the country recorded 64,000 murders, 70 percent of which were committed with firearms.

Violence in Brazil is mainly linked to criminal groups, gangs that often exchange fire among themselves or with the police, and shootings, in which passers-by most often become victims, are a daily occurrence.

In March, the Brazilian government sent National Guard units to Belem for 90 days to improve security in that city.

Brazil practices strict gun ownership laws, which new President Jair Bolsonaro promised to change during his election campaign. Namely, he believes that Brazilian citizens should be allowed to own weapons because they have the right to defend themselves against 'fully armed' criminal gangs in the country.